Role of Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine in the Treatment of COVID-19 Infection- A Systematic Literature Review
Abstract
Background
Coronavirus pandemic is currently a global public health emergency. At present, no pharmacological treatment is known to treat this condition, and there is a need to review the available treatments.
Objective
While there have been studies to describe the role of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in various viral conditions, there is limited information about the use of them in COVID-19. This systematic review aims to summarize the available evidence regarding the role of chloroquine in treating coronavirus infection.
Methods
The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used for this review. A literature search was performed using PUBMED & Google Scholar to find articles about the role of CQ in COVID-19 patients.
Results
We included 19 publications (Five published articles, three letters/correspondence, one commentary, five pre-proofs of accepted articles, one abstract of yet to be published article, and four were pre-prints (not yet peer-reviewed) articles) in this systematic review. All the articles mentioned about the role of chloroquine and /or hydroxychloroquine in limiting the infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19).
Conclusions
There is theoretical, experimental, preclinical and clinical evidence of the effectiveness of chloroquine in patients affected with COVID-19. There is adequate evidence of drug safety from the long-time clinical use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in other indications. More data from ongoing and future trials will add more insight into the role of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 infection.
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