No benefit of hydroxychloroquine on SARS-CoV-2 viral load reduction in non-critical hospitalized patients with COVID-19

• Published in: Brazilian journal of microbiology 2020-12, Vol.51 (4), p.1765-1769
• Main Authors: Faíco-Filho, Klinger Soares, Conte, Danielle Dias, de Souza Luna, Luciano Kleber, Carvalho, Joseane Mayara Almeida, Perosa, Ana Helena Sitta, Bellei, Nancy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Clinical Microbiology - Research Paper; COVID-19 - drug therapy; Female; Food Microbiology; Humans; Hydroxychloroquine - pharmacology; Hydroxychloroquine - therapeutic use; Life Sciences; Male; Medical Microbiology; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Mycology; Prospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects; Viral Load - drug effects; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1517-8382; 1678-4405
• DOI: 10.1007/s42770-020-00395-x

Background Some studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an effective drug in reducing the in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2. However, the in vivo effect of HCQ still unclear. Objectives This study aims to evaluate viral load clearance in patients with COVID-19 who underwent HCQ treatment in comparison with a control group that did not receive the drug. Study design This prospective study comprised consecutive viral load measurements in patients with COVID-19 hospitalized with a moderate illness. Patients received 400 mg of HCQ every 12 h for 10 days according to the medical decision. Nasal swab samples were collected from patients during early, intermediary, and final clinical stage of COVID-19. Results A total of 155 samples were collected from 66 patients with COVID-19 (60% female), with a median age of 58 years. The viral load between studied groups, assumed as a semiquantitative measure of cycle threshold (Ct) values, presented no significant difference within the three consecutive measures (ΔCt) ( p >  0.05). We also analyzed the ΔCt viral load at different intervals of sample collection (Δ t  12 days) without significant differences at any ΔCt ( p >  0.05). Conclusion In this study, we did not observe any change in viral load reduction in vivo with the use of HCQ.