Last nail in the coffin for hydroxychloroquine - Printable Version

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Last nail in the coffin for hydroxychloroquine - BostonCard - 10-08-2020

The New England Journal published the results of the Hydroxychloroquine arm of the RECOVERY trial.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2022926?query=RP

Bottom line:

• Over 4500 patients were enrolled, 1561 patients to receive hydroxychloroquine and 3155 to receive usual care
  
• There was no improvement in mortality (27% of the hydroxychloroquine patients died versus 25% on usual care). If anything, the trend was in the wrong direction (a larger proportion of study participants in the hydroxychloroquine arm died than in the placebo arm, though the difference was small and not statistically signficiant)
  
• Patients on hydroxychloroquine were less likely to be discharged from the hospital after 28 days than patients treated with usual care (59.6% vs. 62.9%).  This result was statistically significant
  
• Among the patients who weren't on mechanical ventilation when they enrolled in the trial, those on hydroxychloroquine were more likely to subsequently require mechanical ventilation (30.7% vs. 26.9%; risk ratio).  This was also statistically significant.
  
• There were more cardiac deaths in the hydroxychloroquine arm, but this was small and not statistically significant, nor was there a difference in major cardiac arrhythmias
  

Bottom line is that it is very clear now that hydroxychloroquine does not benefit hospitalized patients with COVID-19, and looks to harm them.

BC

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