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The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to discontinue HIV drugs lopinavir/ritonavir and anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) from it’s Covid-19 linked Solidarity Trial.
The drug HCQ had hit global headlines after US President Donald Trump had called it a “game-changer”. It has since been through a series of fluctuating fortunes as countries and studies revealed different views on using the drug in treating Covid-19. The drug was provided in India as well but only as a preventative to doctors in treating Covid-19 patients and close family members.
As for the HIV drugs combination, health advocacy groups had pointed to studies that said they did not provide benefits beyond standard care.
Reiterating its stand on dropping HCQ from the global trial, the WHO in its latest communication said that it had accepted the Solidarity Trial’s International Steering Committee recommendation to discontinue the trial’s hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir arms. The Solidarity Trial was established by WHO to find an effective Covid-19 treatment for hospitalised patients.
The Committee’s recommendation was made on the evidence for hydroxychloroquine vs standard-of-care and lopinavir/ritonavir vs standard-of-care from the Solidarity trial interim results. Other trials were also reviewed at the WHO Summit last week on Covid-19 research and innovation.
“These interim trial results show that hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients when compared to standard of care. Solidarity trial investigators will interrupt the trials with immediate effect,” the WHO said.
No effect on ‘preventive role’ studies
Significantly, the WHO pointed out that the decision applies “only to the conduct of the Solidarity trial in hospitalised patients and does not affect the possible evaluation in other studies of hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir/ritonavir in non-hospitalised patients or as pre- or post-exposure prophylaxis for Covid-19.” The interim Solidarity results are now being readied for peer-reviewed publication.
Doctors who have taken HCQ as a preventive told BusinessLine that the medicine, when taken as a preventive, was given in a lower dosage. The global trial had a larger dosage and was looking at impact on mortality, they added.
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