Effect of High vs Low Doses of Chloroquine Diphosphate as Adjunctive Therapy for Patients Hospitalized With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection
A Randomized Clinical Trial
Mayla Gabriela Silva Borba, MD1,2; Fernando Fonseca Almeida Val, PhD1,2; Vanderson Souza Sampaio, PhD1,2,3; et alMarcia Almeida Araújo Alexandre, MD1; Gisely Cardoso Melo, PhD1,2; Marcelo Brito, MSc1,2; Maria Paula Gomes Mourão, MD1,2; José Diego Brito-Sousa, MSc1,2; Djane Baía-da-Silva, PhD1,2; Marcus Vinitius Farias Guerra, MD1; Ludhmila Abrahão Hajjar, MD4; Rosemary Costa Pinto, BSc3; Antonio Alcirley Silva Balieiro, MSc5; Antônio Guilherme Fonseca Pacheco, MD6; James Dean Oliveira Santos Jr, PhD7; Felipe Gomes Naveca, PhD5; Mariana Simão Xavier, MSc8; André Machado Siqueira, MD8; Alexandre Schwarzbold, MD9; Júlio Croda, MD10,11; Maurício Lacerda Nogueira, MD12; Gustavo Adolfo Sierra Romero, MD13; Quique Bassat, MD14,15,16,17,18; Cor Jesus Fontes, MD19; Bernardino Cláudio Albuquerque, MD20; Cláudio-Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro, MD21; Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro, PhD1,2; Marcus Vinícius Guimarães Lacerda, MD1,2,5; for the CloroCovid-19 Team
Author Affiliations
JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(4.23):e208857. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.8857
Abstract
Importance There is no specific antiviral therapy recommended for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In vitro studies indicate that the antiviral effect of chloroquine diphosphate (CQ) requires a high concentration of the drug.
Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 2 CQ dosages in patients with severe COVID-19.
Design, Setting, and Participants This parallel, double-masked, randomized, phase IIb clinical trial with 81 adult patients who were hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was conducted from March 23 to April 5, 2020, at a tertiary care facility in Manaus, Brazilian Amazon.