The results of a University of Minnesota trial indicate that hydroxychloroquine has no benefit over a placebo in preventing COVID-19.
The study was the first randomized clinical trial testing the drug for post-exposure prevention of the coronavirus.
The results will be published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial found that hydroxychloroquine was not able to prevent subjects from developing COVID-19 any more than a placebo.
Forty percent of trial participants taking hydroxychloroquine also developed non-serious side effects like nausea, upset stomach and diarrhea.
No serious side effects were found from using the drug.
The trial launched on March 17, with the purpose of finding out whether taking hydroxychloroquine could prevent a healthy person from getting infected after being exposed to the virus. A total of 821 adults in the U.S. and Canada, who had been exposed in their household or through work as first responders or in health care, enrolled.
Half of the people in the trial received hydroxychloroquine for five days, while the other half received a placebo. None of the participants knew which they had gotten. They were followed for two weeks to see who developed symptoms.
Overall, approximately 12% of the people who'd taken hydroxychloroquine developed COVID-19, versus 14% given the placebo.
"This was not a statistical difference, and even if there was a statistical difference, this would equate to treating 42 persons with hydroxychloroquine in order to prevent one infection," the U of M's press release stated.
“Our objective was to answer the question of whether hydroxychloroquine worked to prevent disease or did not work,” the trial's senior investigator Dr. David Boulware said in the release. “While we are disappointed that this did not prevent COVID-19, we are pleased that we were able to provide a conclusive answer. Our objective was to find an answer.”
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The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is also a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.