Two new studies show the ineffectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in fighting the new coronavirus. The use of this treatment encouraged by the French professor Didier Raoult who has caused a lot of ink to flow, does not seem to be effective, whether in severely or more slightly affected patients.
The first study, conducted by French researchers, concludes that this derivative of the antimalarial chloroquine does not significantly reduce the risks of admission to intensive care or death in patients hospitalized with pneumonia due to Covid-19.
According to the second study, carried out by a Chinese team, hydroxychloroquine does not make it possible to eliminate the virus more quickly than standard treatments in patients hospitalized with a “mild” or “moderate” form of Covid-19. In addition, the side effects are more prominent.
"Taken together, these results do not support the use of hydroxychloroquine as a routine treatment for patients with Covid-19," said the British medical journal BMJ, which publishes the two studies.
91% survival rate without treatment and 89% survival with
The first involves 181 adult patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 pneumonia which required them to be given oxygen. 84 of these patients received hydroxychloroquine daily less than two days after their hospitalization, unlike the 97 others.
Whether or not receiving this treatment did not change anything, whether for transfers to the ICU (76% of the patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were in ICU after the 21st day, compared to 75% in the other group of patients) or for mortality (the 21st day survival rate was 89% and 91% respectively).
“Hydroxychloroquine has received worldwide attention as a potential treatment for Covid-19 after positive results from small studies. However, the results of this study do not support its use in patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 who require oxygen, ”conclude researchers from several hospitals in the Paris region.
30% of patients have adverse effects against 9% without hydroxychloroquine
The second study involved 150 adults hospitalized in China with mainly "mild" or "moderate" forms of Covid-19. Half received hydroxychloroquine, the other half did not.
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Again, receiving or not receiving this treatment did not change the patient's elimination of the virus after four weeks. In addition, 30% of those who had received hydroxychloroquine experienced adverse effects (the most common was diarrhea) compared to 9% in patients who did not take them.
Used to treat autoimmune diseases, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, hydroxychloroquine has strong supporters. The controversial French professor Didier Raoult thus promotes the use of this drug in patients at the start of their illness, combined with an antibiotic, azithromycin. President Donald Trump has also regularly advocated its use against coronavirus. But in recent weeks, several studies have questioned the effectiveness of this molecule in the treatment of Covid-19 and health authorities in several countries have warned against the risk of adverse effects, including heart.
VIDEO. Chloroquine: "The latest publications are not in favor of this treatment"