Chloroquine News and Research

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Is the confidence in hydroxychloroquine for the management of COVID-19 justified?

A new review paper published in the preprint open-access journal medRxiv in April 2020 reports that there is not enough evidence to justify the widespread use of the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment or prophylaxis of the current COVID-19 illness.

23 Apr 2020

Is hydroxychloroquine effective against COVID-19?

Following the emergence of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, in the last month of 2019, it has spread globally to produce the first pandemic of the 21st century. The virus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has already affected over 2.5 million and killed more than 177,000 people as of April 22, 2020.

22 Apr 2020

Research suggests Nelfinavir and Cepharanthine as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

A new study published in the journal bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the identification of a promising multidrug treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 disease. The team predicts that this combination will prevent the virus from reproducing, hence both halting the transmission and progress of the disease.

19 Apr 2020

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment in 80 COVID-19 patients: short-term outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading around the world and affecting nearly 2.4 million people, with over 164,000 dead so far. With neither vaccine nor proven therapeutic drug being available so far, the need of the hour is for effective treatment. Now, a new study reports the potential usefulness of a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment in mild cases of COVID-19 infection and urges the need for further evaluation and widespread use if its findings are confirmed.

19 Apr 2020

Study shows possible way to effectively deliver RNA drugs to tumors

In recent years, RNA molecules, with the ability to affect or turn off pathogenic genes, have become promising drug candidates in several areas.

15 Apr 2020

Cost of ‘repurposing’ existing drugs to treat COVID-19

The paper looks at repurposed drugs that might demonstrate efficacy against COVID-19, and if they could be manufactured profitably at very low costs to ensure affordable access to vital treatments for COVID-19 at low prices globally.

13 Apr 2020

Clinical trial to investigate effectiveness of antimalarial drugs for COVID-19 treatment

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is launching a clinical trial for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

9 Apr 2020

Potential harms associated with some drugs used for treating COVID-19 patients

Chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are being used to treat and prevent COVID-19 despite weak evidence for effectiveness, and physicians and patients should be aware of the drugs' potentially serious adverse events, states a review in CMAJ.

8 Apr 2020

ATS releases new guidance to help clinicians manage COVID-19 patients

An American Thoracic Society-led international task force has released a guidance document to help clinicians manage COVID-19 patients in the face of a worldwide pandemic and minimal empirical evidence to guide treatment.

6 Apr 2020

‘You pray that you got the drug.’ Ailing couple gambles on trial for COVID-19 cure

For 10 days last month, they lay in side-by-side isolation units in a Seattle-area hospital, tethered to oxygen and struggling to breathe as the coronavirus ravaged their lungs.

6 Apr 2020

Who should be taking antimalarial drugs as treatment against COVID-19?

Researchers provide a guideline regarding who should be actually taking antimalarial drugs as prophylaxis to prevent getting COVID-19. They say health professionals who are being exposed to COVID-19 positive patients and those who test positive but are asymptomatic should be taking drugs such as Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine. They explain that these populations remain most in need, and because of limited supply, these individuals need to be prioritized.

2 Apr 2020

Drugs considered for COVID-19 can increase risk for dangerous arrhythmias

As some consider treating coronavirus patients with a combination of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, cardiologists are advising caution because both medications can increase the risk for dangerous abnormal heart rhythms.

2 Apr 2020

Putting an end to the pandemic

From the plagues of medieval Europe to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the specter of the next public health disaster has gripped the minds of scientists, captivated the imaginations of writers and vexed conspiracy theorists.

1 Apr 2020

FDA to trial malaria drugs Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week provided the necessary authorization for clinical trials of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of the novel coronavirus. These two drugs have been claimed by President Donald Trump to be a potential treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which causes COVID-19 disease. To date, there has been no conclusive proof regarding the safety and efficacy of these drugs in COVID-19 cases, say officials.

31 Mar 2020

Online coronavirus tests are just the latest iffy products marketed to anxious consumers

Companies with experience in the "at-home" testing market began announcing in mid-March that they would be offering direct-to-consumer test kits for COVID-19.

31 Mar 2020

Will 'old faithful' tuberculosis BCG vaccine work against COVID?

All over the world, except in China, the place where it all began, the COVID-19 pandemic is making its relentless way through the population. So far, it has caused nearly 34,000 deaths – and the situation in the US is still worsening with over 142,000 cases and 2,489 deaths. In Australia, the number of cases has climbed to 4,093, with 16 fatalities.

29 Mar 2020

Critical guidance to identify COVID-19 patients at risk of drug-induced sudden cardiac death

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to spread, leading to more than 20,000 deaths worldwide in less than four months. Efforts are progressing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but it's still likely 12 to 18 months away.

25 Mar 2020

Huge WHO trial of COVID-19 therapies begins

As the world reels from the devastating impact and the looming threat of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, researchers around the globe are racing to find a cure that will reduce symptom severity and reverse the course of the disease, freeing up more hospital space and making it possible to treat more of the severely affected cases.

24 Mar 2020

Researchers highlight urgent need for public health leadership during COVID-19 pandemic

For decades, public health officials have directed the containment of emerging pandemics - perhaps most notably - the worldwide eradication of smallpox starting in the early to mid-1960s.

19 Mar 2020

Autophagy genes work against tumors in some ovarian cancers

Shedding light on a decades-old controversy, scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina and University of California at San Diego published findings in PLOS Genetics this month showing that autophagy or "self-eating" genes work against tumors in certain types of ovarian cancer.

13 Feb 2020