Effect of Hydroxychloroquine in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19

Abstract (PubMed)

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been proposed as treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on the basis of in vitro activity and data from uncontrolled studies and small, randomized trials. In this randomized, controlled, open-label platform trial comparing a range of possible treatments with usual care in patients hospitalized with Covid-19, we randomly assigned 1561 patients to receive hydroxychloroquine and 3155 to receive usual care. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. The enrollment of patients in the hydroxychloroquine group was closed on June 5, 2020, after an interim analysis determined that there was no convincing evidence of a difference in 28-day mortality (26.8% vs. 25.0%; rate ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.23; P=0.15) and no potential benefit from continuation of the evaluation. Hydroxychloroquine was associated with increased length of hospital stay and increased risk of invasive mechanical ventilation. RECOVERY Collaborative Group.