HealthDay Reports: Hydroxychloroquine Has No Impact on Outcomes in COVID-19
No link was seen between the use of the drug and the risk for composite end point of intubation or death, according to a new study.
Hydroxychloroquine Has No Impact on Outcomes in COVID-19
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Hydroxychloroquine is not associated with an increased or decreased risk for intubation or death among patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital, according to a study published online May 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Joshua Geleris, M.D., from Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues examined the association between hydroxychloroquine use and intubation or death at a large medical center. Data were included for 1,446 patients with COVID-19; 70 of these patients were intubated, died, or were discharged within 24 hours after presentation and were excluded from the analysis.
The researchers found that during a median follow-up of 22.5 days, 58.9 percent of the remaining 1,376 patients received hydroxychloroquine; 45.8 percent were treated within 24 hours of presentation and 85.9 percent were treated within 48 hours. Overall, 25.1 percent of patients had a primary end point event (intubation or death).