A pilot study of hydroxychloroquine in treatment of patients with moderate COVID-19

• Published in: Zhejiang da xue xue bao. Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences. Yi xue ban Vol. 49; no. 2; p. 215
• Main Authors: Chen, Jun, Liu, Danping, Liu, Li, Liu, Ping, Xu, Qingnian, Xia, Lu, Ling, Yun, Huang, Dan, Song, Shuli, Zhang, Dandan, Qian, Zhiping, Li, Tao, Shen, Yinzhong, Lu, Hongzhou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 25.05.2020
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification; China; Coronavirus Infections - diagnostic imaging; Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy; COVID-19; Humans; Hydroxychloroquine - therapeutic use; Pandemics; Pilot Projects; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnostic imaging; Pneumonia, Viral - drug therapy; RNA, Viral - isolation & purification; SARS-CoV-2; Treatment Outcome; China
• ISSN: 1008-9292
• DOI: 10.3785/j.issn.1008-9292.2020.03.03

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of patients with moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We prospectively enrolled 30 treatment-naïve patients with confirmed COVID-19 after informed consent at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. The patients were randomized 1：1 to HCQ group and the control group. Patients in HCQ group were given HCQ 400 mg per day for 5 days plus conventional treatments, while those in the control group were given conventional treatment only. The primary endpoint was negative conversion rate of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in respiratory pharyngeal swab on days 7 after randomization. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and registered online (NCT04261517). One patient in HCQ group developed to severe during the treatment. On day 7, nucleic acid of throat swabs was negative in 13 (86.7%) cases in the HCQ group and 14 (93.3%) cases in the control group ( >0.05). The median duration fr