Neither hydroxychloroquine NOR remdesivir lower inflammation or reduce the degree of respiratory failure in COVID-19 patients, study finds
- The NOR-Solidarity, part of the WHO-Solidarity trial, looked at the effects of remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine on hospitalized COVID-19 patients
- Forty-two patients were randomly assigned to receive remdesivir, 52 patients to receive hydroxychloroquine and 87 patients to receive standard care
- In all three treatment groups, there were similar decreases in viral loads during the first week of treatment
- Neither of the drugs reduced the degree respiratory failure or lowered inflammatory markers in COVID-19 patients
Two COVID-19 treatments do not seem to have any effect in helping patients recover from the disease more quickly, a new study suggests.
Researchers looked at two therapies: remdesivir - which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Covid and hydroxychloroquine, which is not approved.
They found that neither drug helped decrease the severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients nor lowered inflammation no matter what the patient's age was or how long they had had symptoms for.
The team, from Oslo University Hospital, in Norway, says the findings have the group 'questioning the antiviral potential' of the treatments.
A new study found neither remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine reduced the degree respiratory failure or reduced inflammatory makers in COVID-19 patients (file image)
Known as NOR-Solidarity, the study is affiliated with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Solidarity trial.
The trial sees researchers from several different countries compare the effects of different drugs on COVID-19.
Included in the trial are remdesivir, originally conceived as a drug to fight Ebola, and an anti-malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine.
For the Norwegian study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the team looked at 181 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in 23 hospitals in Norway.
Forty-two patients were randomly assigned to receive remdesivir, 52 patients to receive hydroxychloroquine and 87 patients to receive standard care.
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While the WHO's trial has tested the drugs' effects on mortality, it had not examined either of their antiviral effects.
The new study looked at the drugs' effects on the degree of respiratory failure, the degree of and inflammation and whether or not it could clear the virus in the oropharynx, which is the middle part of the throat.
Results showed that in all three treatment groups, there were similar decreases in viral loads during the first week of treatment.
However, neither of the drugs affected the degree respiratory failure or inflammatory markers in blood samples.
These were consistent despite the patient's age, duration of symptoms and whether or not he or she developed antibodies.
The researchers noted in the study that overall mortality in the NOR-Solidarity trial was lower than in the WHO-Solidarity trial.
However, there could be many factors behind this including strict lockdowns in Norway as well as lower rates of pre-existing conditions in patients.
'In conclusion, the overall lack of effect of remdesivir and HCQ on the clinical course of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 was accompanied by a paucity of effect on SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance in the oropharynx,' the authors wrote.
'Our findings question the antiviral potential of these drugs in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.'
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