Small Chinese Study Finds No Benefit In Malaria Drug

March 25, 2020 Coronavirus, Medicine

Bloomberg News reports:

Hydroxychloroquine, a medicine for malaria that President Donald Trump has touted as a treatment for coronavirus, was no more effective than conventional care, a small study found. The report published by the Journal of Zhejiang University in China showed that patients who got the medicine didn’t fight off the new coronavirus more often than those who did not get the medicine. The study involved just 30 patients. Of the 15 patients given the malaria drug, 13 tested negative for the coronavirus after a week of treatment. Of the 15 patients who didn’t get hydroxychloroquine, 14 tested negative for the virus. The results of the study weren’t statistically significant.

Agence France-Presse reports:

Hydroxychloroquine, particularly when given with the antibiotic azithromycin, has received widespread attention following a controversial, small study of 26 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in France. In that study, the drug appeared to help clear the virus from their bodies, based on samples taken from nasal swabs. Experts have criticised the design of the study, calling it interesting but far from definitive.

Trump has said several times that he is confident the medicine will work. On Saturday (March 21), vice-president Mike Pence also touted the drug at a White House event. “Doctors can now prescribe chloroquine for that off-label purpose of dealing with the symptoms of coronavirus,” Pence said. “The president’s very optimistic.” Dr Anthony Fauci has called reports that hydroxychloroquine might work anecdotal, and said they need further study before the pill’s use is encouraged.

Much larger studies are underway.



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