A abstract of latest study released on 11th of April 2020 by IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France revealed that the Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin (HCQ-AZ) combination, when started immediately after diagnosis, is a safe and efficient treatment for COVID-19. Professor Didier Raoult Releases the Results of a new Study on 1061 COVID-19 patients, treated for at least 3 days with the Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin combination and a follow-up of at least 9 days . Professor Didier Raoult, is the director of the Research Unit in Infectious and Tropical Emergent Diseases (URMITE) based in the southern city of Marseille. Professor Didier Raoult Key findings of study: No cardiac toxicity was observed. A good clinical outcome and virological cure was obtained in 973 patients within 10 days (91.7%). A poor outcome was observed for 46 patients (4.3%); 10 were transferred to intensive care units, 5 patients died (0.47%) (74-95 years old) and 31 required 10 days of hospitalization or more. The authors conclude that the HCQ-AZ combination, when started immediately after diagnosis, is a safe and efficient treatment for COVID-19, with a mortality rate of 0.5%, in elderly patients. It avoids worsening and clears virus persistence and contagiosity in most cases. The original abstract can be accessed here. Also, the researchers made this table available. It’s not clear when the complete study will be made available. Source of information
EDITOR'S CHOICE Coronavirus Disease 2019 Treatment: A Review of Early and Emerging Options https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa105 Published: 23 March 2020 PDF Cite Permissions Icon Permissions hydroxychloroquine remdesivir sars-cov-2 covid-19 Issue Section: Review Article In December 2019, several patients in Wuhan, Hubei, China were diagnosed with pneumonia secondary to an unknown virus. In response, an epidemiological alert was placed with the World Health Organization (WHO) dated December 31, 2019. By January 7, 2020 Chinese scientists had isolated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1]. In the months that followed, SARS-CoV-2, the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), spread across the globe resulting in the current pandemic. At the time of this review, COVID-19 has been diagnosed in more than 245 000 patients and associated with over 10 000 deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], WHO). On behalf of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, we herein summarize the current evidence as of March 19, 2020 to provide guidance on potential COVID-19 treatment options. It is important to caution readers that new data emerges approximately every hour regarding clinical characteristics, treatment options, and outcomes for COVID-19. Optimized supportive care remains the mainstay of therapy, and the clinical efficacy for the subsequent agents is still under investigation. Most existing preclinical and clinical data on antiviral therapy are derived from other viruses, including SARS-CoV-1 (first reported in 2003), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus ([MERS-CoV] first reported in 2012), and non-coronaviruses (eg, Ebola virus disease). It is unclear how well these data can be extrapolated to SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the clinical relevance of antiviral in vitro activity (defined as half-maximal effective concentration [EC50] values) remains unclear given an absence of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic or clinical data that equates achievable exposures relative to these values to a treatment effect. Finally, in vitro data should be compared cautiously across studies given the potential variability in testing methodologies that could impact perceived activity. Antimicrobial stewardship programs, including infectious diseases pharmacists and physicians, are at the forefront of COVID-19 emergency preparedness [2]. We encourage all readers to continue to assess clinical data as it emerges and share their experience within our community, preferentially evaluating these agents in the context of randomized, controlled trials. PHARMACOLOGICAL TREAT
