No evidence of clinical efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 infection and requiring oxygen: results of a study using routinely collected data to emulate a target trial

Publication
Title	No evidence of clinical efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection with oxygen requirement: results of a study using routinely collected data to emulate a target trial
Authors	Matthieu Mahevas Viet-Thi Tran Mathilde Roumier ... Nathalie Costedoat
Journal	medRxiv preprint
Date	April 14, 2020

Non-randomized trial of 181 COVID-19 patients hospitalized for hypoxic pneumonia treated with hydroxychloroquine or standard therapy with primary endpoint of transfer to ICU. Of the patients treated with hydroxychloroquine, 20% also received azithromycin. There was no difference between treatment groups in transfer to ICU or death 7 days after hospital admission.

Based on C-reactive protein levels, most patients were already in a cytokine storm by the time treatment was initiated, which supported the theory that hydroxychloroquine is unlikely to be effective once patients are in a cytokine storm.

Major Issues

No major issues identified.

Minor Issues

No minor issues identified.

Impact

This study supported evidence that hydroxychloroquine has minimum to non-existent effects in late stage disease where patients are in cytokine storm.

Article Revisions

None at this time.