Hydroxychloroquine has demonstrated in vitro activity against SARS-CoV2, the report said.
New Delhi:
The Union’s Ministry of Health has recommended the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir as part of an emergency use authorization, the off-label application of the immunomodulator tocilizumab and convalescent plasma therapy for treatment COVID-19 patients with moderate criticality.
Reverting to its previous position, the ministry, in its revised “ Clinical Management Protocols for COVID-19 ”, released on Saturday, said that anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) should be used early in the disease to achieve an effect and should be avoided in severe cases.
In the new set of protocols, the ministry has withdrawn its previous recommendation to use hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin in severe cases requiring acute care management.
Hydroxychloroquine has demonstrated in vitro activity against SARS-CoV2 and has been shown to be clinically beneficial in several small monocentric studies, but with significant limitations, she said.
“However, several large observational studies with severe methodological limitations have shown no effect on mortality or other clinically significant results.
“As such, the evidence base behind its use remains limited as with other drugs and should only be used after shared decision-making with patients pending the results of ongoing studies,” says the document. revised.
As with other antivirals, this medication should be used as early in the course of the disease as possible to achieve significant effects and should be avoided in patients with severe illness, “says he.
An ECG should ideally be done before prescribing the drug to measure the QTc interval, to assess some of the electrical properties of the heart, and to avoid hydroxychloroquine if the QTc is greater than 500 ms, he said.
