Update on Use of Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine to Treat Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Gao et al.,
Update on Use of Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine to Treat Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),
Biosci Trends, May 21, 2020, 14:2, 156-158, doi:10.5582/bst.2020.03072, Epub Apr 13, 2020 (Review)
Increasing evidence from completed clinical studies shows CQ and HCQ effective (HCQ more effective).
Gao et al., 13 Apr 2020, peer-reviewed, 2 authors.
Abstract: BioScience Trends. 2020; 14(2):156-158.
Communication
156
DOI: 10.5582/bst.2020.03072
Update on use of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine to treat
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Jianjun Gao1,*, Shasha Hu2
1
2
Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China;
Department of Pathology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
SUMMARY
Drugs that are specifically efficacious against SARS-CoV-2 have yet to be established. Chloroquine
and hydroxychloroquine have garnered considerable attention for their potential to treat coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19). Increasing evidence obtained from completed clinical studies indicates the
prospects for chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. More randomized control clinical
studies are warranted to determine the feasibility of these two drugs in treating COVID-19.
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused more
than 1 million confirmed cases and approximately 70,000
deaths worldwide as of April 6, 2020 (1). Drugs that are
specifically efficacious against SARS-CoV-2 have yet
to be established. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine
have garnered considerable attention for their potential to
treat COVID-19. In China, chloroquine was added to the
"Guidance for Corona Virus Disease 2019: Prevention,
Control, Diagnosis, and Management" issued by the
National Health Commission on February 18, 2020
(2). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
issued an emergency use authorization for chloroquine/
hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 on March 28,
2020 (3). The European Medicines Agency contended
that the two drugs should be used in clinical trials or
national emergency use programs for the treatment of
COVID-19 on April 1, 2020 (4). The low cost and easy
availability of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine may
help to curb this global public health emergency if their
efficacy and safety are ultimately verified in clinical
studies.
Chloroquine phosphate is the first drug reported
to display efficacy against COVID-19 in early clinical
studies in China (5,6). Based on this encouraging finding,
chloroquine phosphate was added to the Sixth Edition
of the Guidance for tentative treatment of COVID-19
(2). The Sixth Edition recommended that adult patients
in whom chloroquine is not contraindicated should take
chloroquine phosphate tablets, 500 mg (300 mg for
chloroquine) twice a day for no more than 10 days (7).
To reduce the risk of adverse effects of chloroquine,
the Seventh Edition of the Guidance, issued on March
3, 2020, recommends a reduced dosage and shortened
duration of treatment (8). Specifically, the dosage of
chloroquine phosphate for adult patients (ages 18-65)
with a body weight greater than 50 kg is 500 mg twice
a day for 7 days and that for adult patients (ages 18-65)
with a body weight less than 50 kg is 500 mg twice a
day for the first 2 days and 500 mg once a day for the
following 3-7 days (8). Regarding the treatment strategy,
chloroquine and another antiviral favipiravir that also
displayed efficacy in clinical trials are highlighted for
their use in mild and moderate COVID-19 cases to
prevent disease progression (9).
In a pilot study (10) aiming to evaluate the efficacy
and safety of chloroquine in inpatients with COVID-19,
10 patients (3 with severe disease and 7 with moderate
disease) received chloroquine phosphate 500 mg
orally twice a day for 10 days, and..
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