WHO ending hydroxycholorquine trial for COVID

NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation has decided to discontinue hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir arms of its Solidarity Trial for Covid-19 treatment, citing little or no reduction in the mortality rate of hospitalised patients.
This leaves everyone looking at remdesivir as a standard of cure for the pandemic.

“WHO today accepted the recommendation from the Solidarity Trial’s International Steering Committee to discontinue the trial’s hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir arms,” WHO announced on Saturday.

The decision was taken in light of the mounting evidence from the trial’s interim results, it said. “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,” WHO said in a press release. “Solidarity trial investigators will interrupt the trials with immediate effect.”

It, however, clarified that this decision applies only to 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.