Abstract: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.30.20143289; this version posted September 16, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license . Hydroxychloroquine has no effect on SARS-CoV-2 load in nasopharynx of patients with mild form of COVID-19 Alexey Komissarov1,2, Ivan Molodtsov1,3, Oxana Ivanova1,2, Elena Maryukhnich1,2, Svetlana Kudryavtseva1, Alexey Mazus4, Evgeniy Nikonov5, Elena Vasilieva1,2* 1 Clinical City Hospital named after I.V. Davydovsky, Moscow Department of Healthcare, Moscow, Russia. 2 Laboratory of Atherothrombosis, Cardiology Department, Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia. 3 N.F. Gamaleya Federal National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russia. 4 Moscow City Center for AIDS Prevention and Control, Moscow Department of Healthcare, Moscow, Russia. 5 Moscow Department of Healthcare, Moscow, Russia. Abstract Due to the constantly growing numbers of COVID-19 infections and death cases attempts were undertaken to find drugs with anti SARS-CoV-2 activity among ones already approved for other pathologies. In the framework of such attempts, in a number of in vitro, as well as in vivo, models it was shown that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has an effect against SARS-CoV-2. While there was not enough clinical data to support the use of HCQ, several countries including Russia have included HCQ in treatment protocols for infected patients and for prophylactic. Here, we evaluated the SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharynx swabs from infected patients in mild conditions and compared the viral RNA load dynamics between patients receiving HCQ and control group without antiviral pharmacological therapy. We found statistically significant relationship between maximal RNA quantity and patients’ deteriorating medical conditions, as well as confirmed the arterial hypertension to be a risk factor for people with COVID-19. However, we showed that HCQ therapy neither shortened the viral shedding period nor reduced the virus RNA load. Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, hydroxychloroquine, quantitative PCR with reverse transcription, viral load *Corresponding author: Elena that Vasilieva, MD, PhD, Clinical City Hospital named after I.V. NOTE: This preprint reports new research has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice. Davydovsky, 11 Yauzskaya Street, Moscow, Russia, 109240. E-mail: vasilievahelena@gmail.com medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.30.20143289; this version posted September 16, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license .