A small Chinese study, published on March 6 in the Journal of Zhejiang University, has found that hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, is no more effective than started coronavirus treatment.
Last week, President Donald Trump praised the drug for its potential ability to fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, calling it a “gift from God” and “game-changer.”
The study looked at30 coronavirus patients, of which half of them were given hydroxychloroquine.
Researchers found that after seven days, 13 patients who received the malaria drug tested negative compared to 14 patients who did not receive the drug.
They also found that one of the patients on the drugs developed a severe illness. The average time taken for the patients to recover was similar in both groups.
However, the researchers said the study size was too small to be statistically significant.
Another study conducted in France with a similar number of patients found that hydroxychloroquine to be highly effective in treating the coronavirus, especially when it is given along with azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic.
The contrasting findings of both the studies have triggered heightened global interest in hydroxychloroquine, as well as its related compound chloroquine, which is used for decades to treat malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Trump administration has been working with drug companies to expand access to the malarial drugs so that doctors can advise them “off label” for the treatment of COVID-19.
However, experts have warned against publicizing these antimalarial drugs for treating the coronavirus. They said they are not yet proven for the treatment of COVID-19 and it is important to conduct large clinical trials before driving to any conclusions.
Large human trials are considered the gold standard in the medical field for the FDA to approve or reject any drug.
On Tuesday, researchers began such a trial in New York state, where the officials have reported more than 30,000 cases and nearly 200 deaths.
Earlier this week, an Arizona man died after ingesting a non-medical form of chloroquine in an attempt to prevent the coronavirus.
The man and his wife, who is now critically ill, took the drug that is used for parasite treatment for fish. The man’s wife said they took the drug after they had heard Trump’s announcement that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine could be effective at treating COVID-19.
