Hydroxychloroquine News and Research

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WHO resumes hydroxychloroquine drug trial in COVID-19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rippled across the world with a devastating effect. As scientists raced to find an effective treatment for patients, existing malaria and rheumatoid arthritis drug hydroxychloroquine became one of the most popular candidates.

5 Jun 2020

Designing a prototype spike protein vaccine for SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the development of a prototype vaccine containing multiple antigenic sites, based on the spike protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic. If successful, this could lead to the development of an effective, non-allergenic vaccine that induces both humoral and cellular immunity.

4 Jun 2020

Hydroxychloroquine not able to prevent development of COVID-19, UMN trial shows

Today, University of Minnesota Medical School researchers published the results from the first randomized clinical trial testing hydroxychloroquine for the post-exposure prevention of COVID-19.

4 Jun 2020

Health care providers urged to stop hydroxycholoroquine use for COVID-19

The sacred oath taken by physicians during graduation from medical school to "First do no harm," the first words of the Hippocratic Oath, provides a strong impetus for a commentary just published in The American Journal of Medicine.

4 Jun 2020

Does interferon therapy work in COVID-19?

A new study published on the preprint site medRxiv in May 2020 reports on the efficacy of interferons in treating COVID-19. The research could help evaluate the place of such therapy in the management of this disease.

2 Jun 2020

Lancet issues correction on paper than prompted WHO to suspend Hydroxychloroquine trial

The World Health Organization (WHO) suspended the hydroxychloroquine trial amid the coronavirus pandemic. The decision comes after the study findings published in The Lancet reported issues on the drug's efficacy and safety. Now, the journal has issued a correction on the figures reported in the study.

2 Jun 2020

Researchers develop new method to measure hydroxychloroquine levels in SLE patients

Researchers at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital have developed a new method to measure levels of the medication hydroxychloroquine in patients with rheumatic disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

1 Jun 2020

Researchers use optical mapping system to observe the effect of hydroxychloroquine

The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which has been promoted as a potential treatment for Covid-19, is known to have potentially serious effects on heart rhythms.

1 Jun 2020

How COVID-19 affects the nervous system

A new paper published in the journal JAMA Neurology in May 2020 discusses the presentation and complications of COVID-19 with respect to the nervous system.

31 May 2020

Assessing treatment for acute chloroquine poisoning

Research by Bangor University’s Professor Dyfrig Hughes has provided important evidence on the safety of treatments that are being tested for use in COVID-19.

30 May 2020

Study examines changes in prescription patterns during COVID-19 pandemic

A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital examines changes in prescription patterns in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

29 May 2020

Canadian study of COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs finds lower overall mortality

A Canadian case series of all patients with COVID-19 admitted to six intensive care units (ICUs) in Metro Vancouver found patient outcomes were substantially better than reported in other jurisdictions. The paper is published in CMAJ.

27 May 2020

Is vitamin D really linked to excess COVID-19 mortality?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused many deaths, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, over many different countries. However, the reasons for the differential mortality from region to region are far from clear, despite intensive research.

27 May 2020

WHO halts Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 trial over safety concerns

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has taken a toll on 188 countries and territories across the globe. With the increasing number of confirmed cases, scientists race to develop treatments and vaccines to fight the novel coronavirus.

27 May 2020

Zero benefit of Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine in COVID-19, says extensive study

The purported "game-changer" anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine, which was claimed to be effective in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and also helping better outcomes in COVID-19 patients, seems to have failed in clinical trials.

25 May 2020

Treatment with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine offers no benefit for COVID-19 patients

A large observational study suggests that treatment with the antimalarial drug chloroquine or its analog hydroxychloroquine (taken with or without the antibiotics azithromycin or clarithromycin) offers no benefit for patients with COVID-19.

22 May 2020

Study evaluates the effectiveness of interferon beta 1b in COVID-19 pneumonia

As the world struggles to overcome the current COVID-19 pandemic with non-pharmacological interventions, in the absence of an effective drug or vaccine, existing immunomodulators are being repurposed. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 shows no clinical benefit to the use of one such drug, called interferon beta 1b (IFN beta1b).

22 May 2020