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Review
. 2022 May 20;12(3):44-52.
doi: 10.5493/wjem.v12.i3.44.

Use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination to treat the COVID-19 infection

Jyoti Bajpai  1 , Akshyaya Pradhan  2 , Ajay Kumar Verma  1 , Surya Kant  3
Affiliations
Review

Use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination to treat the COVID-19 infection

Jyoti Bajpai et al. World J Exp Med. .

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is unequivocally the worst crisis in recent decades, which is caused by a severe acute respiratory virus 2. Currently, there is no effective therapy for the COVID-19 infection. Different countries have different guidelines for treating COVID-19 in the absence of an approved therapy for COVID-19. Therefore, there is an imminent need to identify effective treatments, and several clinical trials have been conducted worldwide. Both hydroxychloroquine [HCQS], chloroquine, and azithromycin (AZ) have been widely used for management based on in vitro studies favoring antiviral effects against the COVID-19 virus. However, there is evidence both in favor and against the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (HCQS+AZ) combination therapy to manage the COVID-19 infection. The combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was significantly associated with increased adverse events. However, the inference of these findings was from observational studies. Therefore, large randomized trials are imperative to show the future path for the use of HCQS+AZ combination therapy. However, owing to the ban on HCQS use in COVID-19, this may no longer be essential. This review is on the pharmacology, trials, regimens, and side effects of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination therapy.

Keywords: Antiviral effects; Azithromycin; Hydroxychloroquine; QT interval; Randomized controlled trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Suggested use of hydroxychloroquine therapy according to the baseline QTc interval. HCQS: Hydroxychloroquine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk factors for hydroxychloroquine-induced arrhythmia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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