A new study has revealed that the anti-malaria drug, Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), has failed another test to prove its efficiency in treating the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after it came to light that infected patients showing no change in their conditions after being administered the drug.
The observational study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), showed that HCQ had failed to cut the need for COVID-19 patients requiring breathing assistance. It also has no effect on decreasing the risk of death. The NEJM study, however, concluded that HCQ had no potential harm either.
The study used data from the samples of HCQ that had been supplied to as many as 1,376 coronavirus patients admitted at the Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, both in New York City in the United States, currently the coronavirus epicenter of the world.
“There was no significant association between hydroxychloroquine use and intubation or death,” the study concluded.
A few days ago, however, the US Food and Drug Administration had warned the public against using HCQ without prescription or supervision because of reports of “serious heart rhythm problems” in patients administered with the drug. In this light, the findings of the study are interesting.
It is to be noted though that observational studies are not ultimately taken as conclusive with Randomised-Controlled Trials (RCTs) because several drugs and therapies are anyway often used by clinicians to treat patients. The NEJM study asserted that the effectiveness of the HCQ could only be established by rigorous clinical trials. The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health.
Last month, the US House of Representatives had passed a coronavirus pandemic relief bill that aimed to provide funding worth $484 billion to small businesses, hospitals and for COVID-19 testing.
Trump said that he was 'grateful' for the action and indicated that he will sign the bill by the end of the week. The US President also said that the country is 'very close' to finding a vaccine for coronavirus.
"We have a lot of great, brilliant minds working on this," adding, "Unfortunately we`re not very close to testing because when testing starts it takes a period of time, but we`ll get it done," he said.
The US is now pushing antiviral drug Remdesivir manufactured by Gilead Sciences to treat COVID-19 and Remdesivir has now become the first drug to get emergency use authorisation in the US for coronavirus treatment.
