A Systematic Review on the Efficacy and Safety of Chloroquine for the Treatment of COVID-19
Cortegiani et al.,
A Systematic Review on the Efficacy and Safety of Chloroquine for the Treatment of COVID-19,
J. Crit. Care, June 2020, 57:279-283, doi:10.1016/j.jcrc.2020.03.005, Epub Mar 10, 2020 (meta analysis)
Review of six articles and 23 ongoing clinical trials in China recommending research and clinical use adhering to MEURI.
Currently there are
36 HCQ early treatment studies and meta analysis shows:
Cortegiani et al., 10 Mar 2020, peer-reviewed, 5 authors.
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Journal of Critical Care 57 (2020) 279–283
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Critical Care
journal homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-critical-care
A systematic review on the efficacy and safety of chloroquine
for the treatment of COVID-19
Andrea Cortegiani a,⁎, Giulia Ingoglia a, Mariachiara Ippolito a, Antonino Giarratano a, Sharon Einav b
a
b
Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Science (Di.Chir.On.S.), Section of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Intensive Care and Emergency, Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, University of Palermo, Italy
Intensive Care Unit of the Shaare Zedek Medical Medical Centre, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Chloroquine
Pneumonia
Coronavirus
a b s t r a c t
Purpose: COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a public health emergency of international concern. As of this
time, there is no known effective pharmaceutical treatment, although it is much needed for patient contracting
the severe form of the disease. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence regarding chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.
Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and three trial Registries were searched for studies on the use of chloroquine in patients with COVID-19.
Results: We included six articles (one narrative letter, one in-vitro study, one editorial, expert consensus paper,
two national guideline documents) and 23 ongoing clinical trials in China. Chloroquine seems to be effective in
limiting the replication of SARS-CoV-2 (virus causing COVID-19) in vitro.
Conclusions: There is rationale, pre-clinical evidence of effectiveness and evidence of safety from long-time clinical use for other indications to justify clinical research on chloroquine in patients with COVID-19. However, clinical use should either adhere to the Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered Interventions (MEURI)
framework or be ethically approved as a trial as stated by the World Health Organization. Safety data and data
from high-quality clinical trials are urgently needed.
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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