French Scientists Report Successful Results from a COVID-19 Drug Combination

French scientists report successful results from a clinical trial of the combination of two existing drugs - hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin - against the new coranovirus. Their research has been published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

To date, there are no special medications for the treatment of COVID-19. Several hundred clinical trials worldwide are examining the effects of existing drugs on the coronavirus.

Studies are conducted around two groups of drugs: remdesivir, an intravenous drug with extensive antiviral activity and antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.

In laboratory tests, all three drugs showed activity against the new type of coronavirus, and chloroquine was used as a recommended antiviral agent for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in China. However, clinical trials are needed.

French scientists conducted the first clinical trials on the effectiveness of using hydroxychloroquine alone and in combination with the antibiotics azithromycin for the treatment of COVID-19. The studies were carried out at the University Hospital Institute For Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Marseille, France.

The study involved 30 adult patients, both with and without COVID-19 symptoms, who were confirmed to be carriers of SARS-CoV-2. A control group of 16 people was made up of those who did not agree to take the new drugs. They were offered antibiotic treatment to prevent bacterial superinfection.

The remaining 14 patients took orally 200 milligrams of hydroxychloroquine sulfate three times daily for 10 days. In addition to hydroxychloroquine, six of them received 500 milligrams of azithromycin daily for the first two days to prevent superinfections, followed by 250 milligrams for...

Continue reading on: