Is Hydroxychloroquine an effective drug for COVID-19 patients?

4 years ago | Posted in: Articles, COVID-19, Health | 530 Views

Soon after the onset of the outbreak of virus in china, there has been worldwide demand for the treatment of COVID-19, which has killed more than 150,000 people. So, a drug named “hydroxychloroquine” subjugates in news cycle. This anti-malarial drug is under clinical trials to test either it can cure corona infected patients or not.

US National Institute of Health (NIH) has approved proposal of many medical colleges for the trials of hydroxychloroquine effectiveness for coronavirus patients. The trial titles “effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients” was approved last month to try different sets of medicines and to find out treatment for the pandemic which has no cure so far.

Drug trial is meant to find the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine alone and adjuvant with azithromycin in mild and severe case admitted to hospital. As the disease has been killing people at alarming speed, drug trials are currently underway and some encouraging results from different sectors of world are recorded.

The drug under trial is anti malarial and was approved by US food and drug administration for treatment of malaria, but, the effectiveness of same drug in treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia is a question mark owing to which trials are under way in many countries including China, USA, India and Pakistan. Researchers are in progress to closely monitor patients, their treatment and to find out the effectiveness of drug.

To find accurate treatment of COVID-19, three different regimes of drugs were used on three groups of 25 patients in Ayub Teaching Hospital and Ayub Medical College Abbotabad, Pakistan.  Combination of two drugs hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was given to one group of patients, while the second group only received hydroxychloroquine and on third group traditional method of treatment was used.

So far, 3 patients have recovered. On completion of trial all information of patient will be sent to national institute of health (NIH). Patients for trial were selected on the basis of intensity of their disease and ages. Those with heart, kidney and other serious ailments were not included in trial.

The disease is new and there is no timeline for the completion of trials as it depends on the intensity and number of patients. Researchers are working on to invent antivirus medication, but, it’s reality that it may take 6 month, 1 year or more for invention.

by: Hira Gull

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