Yes, chloroquine is still around. It’s still being studied. The last I reported on it was a study that it didn’t work for post exposure prophylaxis. That is, it didn’t prevent Covid-19 when taken after exposure to the virus. Some people criticized it saying that patients weren’t given it soon enough. In this study from JAMA, it’s a double-blinded study where health care workers (HCWs) were given either hydroxychloroquine or placebo when working in a unit of patients with Covid-19. This is the synopsis from Jama followed by a link to the article.
to the article. While on the subject, it should be noted that what the President of the United States is not being treated with it. He is also not getting inhaled budesonide which one doctor had touted as a cure for Covid.
Efficacy and Safety of Hydroxychloroquine vs Placebo for Pre-exposure
SARS-CoV-2 Prophylaxis Among Health Care Workers
A Randomized Clinical Trial A Randomized Clinical Trial
Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil; Eliana L. Jolkovsky, BA; Barbara T. Biney, MPH; Julie E. Uspal, MD; Matthew C. Hyman, MD, PhD; Ian Frank, MD;
Scott E. Hensley, PhD; Saar Gill, MD, PhD; Dan T. Vogl, MD, MSCE; Ivan Maillard, MD, PhD; Daria V. Babushok, MD; Alexander C. Huang, MD, PhD;
Sunita D. Nasta, MD; Jennifer C. Walsh; E. Paul Wiletyo, PhD; Phyllis A. Gimotty, PhD; Michael C. Milone, MD, PhD; Ravi K. Amaravadi, MD;
and the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 With Hydroxychloroquine (PATCH) Investigators
IMPORTANCE Health care workers (HCWs) caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) are at risk of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2). Currently, to our knowledge, there is no effective pharmacologic prophylaxis
for individuals at risk.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine to prevent transmission of
SARS-CoV-2 in hospital-based HCWs with exposure to patients with COVID-19 using a
pre-exposure prophylaxis strategy.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
clinical trial (the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 With Hydroxychloroquine Study) was
conducted at 2 tertiary urban hospitals, with enrollment from April 9, 2020, to July 14, 2020;
follow-up ended August 4, 2020. The trial randomized 132 full-time, hospital-based HCWs
(physicians, nurses, certified nursing assistants, emergency technicians, and respiratory
therapists), of whom 125 were initially asymptomatic and had negative results for SARS-CoV-2
by nasopharyngeal swab. The trial was terminated early for futility before reaching a planned
enrollment of 200 participants.
INTERVENTIONS Hydroxychloroquine, 600 mg, daily, or size-matched placebo taken orally for
8 weeks.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the incidence of SARS-CoV-2
infection as determined by a nasopharyngeal swab during the 8 weeks of treatment.
Secondary outcomes included adverse effects, treatment discontinuation, presence of
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, frequency of QTc prolongation, and clinical outcomes for
SARS-CoV-2–positive participants.
RESULTS Of the 132 randomized participants (median age, 33 years [range, 20-66 years]; 91
women [69%]), 125 (94.7%) were evaluable for the primary outcome. There was no
significant difference in infection rates in participants randomized to receive
hydroxychloroquine compared with placebo (4 of 64 [6.3%] vs 4 of 61 [6.6%]; P > .99). Mild
adverse events were more common in participants taking hydroxychloroquine compared
with placebo (45% vs 26%; P = .04); rates of treatment discontinuation were similar in both
arms (19% vs 16%; P = .81). The median change in QTc (baseline to 4-week evaluation) did
not differ between arms (hydroxychloroquine: 4 milliseconds; 95% CI, −9 to 17; vs placebo: 3
milliseconds; 95% CI, −5 to 11; P = .98). Of the 8 participants with positive results for
SARS-CoV-2 (6.4%), 6 developed viral symptoms; none required hospitalization, and all
clinically recovered.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this randomized clinical trial, although limited by early
termination, there was no clinical benefit of hydroxychloroquine administered daily for 8
weeks as pre-exposure prophylaxis in hospital-based HCWs exposed to patients with
COVID-19.
TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04329923
JAMA Intern Med. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.6319
Published online September 30, 2020.
Visual Abstract
Supplemental content
Author Affiliations: Author
affiliations are listed at the end of this
article.
Group Information: Additional
authors/PATCH Investigators are
listed at end of the article.
Corresponding Author: Ravi K.
Amaravadi, MD, Division of
Hematology-Oncology, 852 BRB 2/3,
421 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA
19104 (ravi.amaravadi@
pennmedicine.upenn.edu).
