Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in the management of COVID-19: Much kerfuffle but little evidence.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in the management of COVID-19: Much kerfuffle but little evidence. Therapie. 2020 May 23;: Authors: Roustit M, Guilhaumou R, Molimard M, Drici MD, Laporte S, Montastruc JL, French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (SFPT) Abstract Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are drugs that have shown in vitro activity on the replication of certain coronaviruses. In the context of the SARS-Cov-2 epidemic, the virus responsible for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), these two drugs have been proposed as possible treatments. The results of the first clinical studies evaluating the effect of hydroxychloroquine do not support any efficacy of this drug in patients with COVID-19, due to major methodological weaknesses. Yet, these preliminary studies have aroused considerable media interest, raising fears of massive and uncontrolled use. In the absence of evidence of clinical benefits, the main risk is of exposing patients unnecessarily to the well-known adverse effects of hydroxychloroquine, with a possibly increased risk in the specific setting of COVID-19. In addition, widespread use outside of any recommendation risks compromising the completion of good quality clinical trials. The chloroquine hype, fueled by low-quality studies and media announcements, has yielded to the implementation of more than 150 studies worldwide. This represents a waste of resources and a loss of opportunity for other drugs ...
Source: Therapie - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Therapie Source Type: research