Donald Trump touted the drugs chloroquine and its close relative hydroxychloroquine as “the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine” as it relates to the fight against the coronavirus. However, after research in China, France, and Brazil, both drugs showed much less impressive results than originally anticipated.
While both drugs showed slight signs that they could potentially ease some of the symptoms of coronavirus infection in patients who were hospitalized, both failed to deliver improvements on other key measures when evaluated in rigorous research studies, according to the Los Angeles Times.
During studies conducted in China and Brazil, the two drugs failed to help patients clear the coronavirus faster. In fact, two of the 37 patients who were getting high doses of chloroquine in Brazil developed ventricular tachycardia, a heart arrhythmia that ultimately led to their deaths, according to the LA Times. Five other patients developed QT interval prolongation, another life-threatening condition that makes the heart’s electrical system slower to recharge between beats. This can cause the heart to beat erratically, which may result in sudden death. These complications prompted hasty alteration of the trial after just 13 days. Research performed in France also showed that hydroxychloroquine neither reduced deaths nor admissions to intensive care units among patients who received it. Researchers ultimately halted testing of the drug after “enough red flags” had been raised.
“My own impression so far is that these medications are a colossal ‘Maybe,’” said Dr. Michael H. Pillinger, a professor of medicine at New York University and chief of rheumatology at the Veterans Affairs’ New York Harbor Healthcare System. He went on to say, “Is there enough possible benefit that we could use these on a wing and prayer until something better comes along? I’m underwhelmed” by the evidence for that.
Researchers concluded that the risks of cardiac side effects of patients administered the drug could not be justified.
“Preliminary findings suggest that the higher chloroquine dosage should not be recommended for COVID-19 treatment because of its potential safety hazards,” the study authors wrote in a report posted Thursday to MedRxiv, a clearinghouse for preliminary research results.
After the two deaths under the trial, the remaining 39 patients were switched to a lower dose of chloroquine, which was already being tested in 40 other patients. All would be tracked for an additional 13 days, with results still pending, LA Times reports.
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