Abstract

Here, we randomized 53 patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to hydroxychloroquine therapy (at a dose of 400 mg twice daily for seven days) in addition to standard care or standard care alone (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier, NCT04316377). All severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive patients 18 years of age or older were eligible for study inclusion if they had moderately severe COVID-19 at admission. Treatment with hydroxychloroquine did not result in a significantly greater rate of decline in SARS-CoV-2 oropharyngeal viral load compared to standard care alone during the first five days. Our results suggest no important antiviral effect of hydroxychloroquine in humans infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The use of hydroxychloroquine therapy for the treatment of Covid-19 is controversial. In this study, Lyngbakken and colleagues present a randomized controlled trial and show that the drug has no antiviral effects in humans infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Details

Title
A pragmatic randomized controlled trial reports lack of efficacy of hydroxychloroquine on coronavirus disease 2019 viral kinetics
Author
Lyngbakken, Magnus Nakrem 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Berdal Jan-Erik 2 ; Eskesen Arne 3 ; Kvale Dag 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Olsen, Inge Christoffer 5 ; Rueegg, Corina Silvia 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Anbjørg, Rangberg 7 ; Jonassen, Christine Monceyron 7 ; Omland Torbjørn 1 ; Røsjø Helge 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dalgard Olav 2 

1  Akershus University Hospital, Division of Medicine, Lørenskog, Norway (GRID:grid.411279.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9637 455X); University of Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.5510.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8921) 
2  University of Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.5510.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8921); Akershus University Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Medicine, Lørenskog, Norway (GRID:grid.411279.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9637 455X) 
3  Akershus University Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Medicine, Lørenskog, Norway (GRID:grid.411279.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9637 455X) 
4  University of Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.5510.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8921); Oslo University Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.55325.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0389 8485) 
5  Oslo University Hospital, Department of Research Support for Clinical Trials, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.55325.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0389 8485) 
6  Oslo University Hospital, Department of Research Support for Clinical Trials, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.55325.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0389 8485); Oslo University Hospital, Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.55325.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0389 8485) 
7  Østfold Hospital Trust, Center for Laboratory Medicine, Grålum, Norway (GRID:grid.412938.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 0627 3923) 
8  University of Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.5510.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8921); Akershus University Hospital, Division of Research and Innovation, Lørenskog, Norway (GRID:grid.411279.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9637 455X) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19056-6
ProQuest document ID
2471472124
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.