Hydroxychloroquine in Nonhospitalized Adults With Early COVID-19
This internet-based study of symptomatic, adult outpatients with laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 and high-risk exposure within 4 days of symptom onset found no difference between hydroxychloroquine and placebo for change in symptom severity (VAS scale) at 14 days.
Source:
Annals of Internal Medicine
SPS commentary:
A related editorial notes the operational difficulties with conducting a trial when in-person visits were difficult and testing shortages made confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis difficult in patients with very mild illness. This study has clear limitations related to these issues, with only 58% of participants receiving Covid-19 testing themselves; in addition the primary outcome relied on an unvalidated tool for symptom assessment. They conclude that taken together with other published RCTs, the current study provides strong evidence for a lack of benefit for hydroxychloroquine in patients with mild illness.