- The University Hospital of Marseille has treated 70% of the cases of hydroxychloroquine, which have been treated with 20 patients. The remaining 25% did not get worse after treatment. Thus, the new treatment system will be extended to more than 3,200 patients from different countries of the world.
Didier Raoult, an expert in communicable diseases and director of the Marseille Hospital, explained that treatment is a derivative of chloroquine. The latter is usually taken by travelers to countries with malaria. Raoult has indicated that treatment cures patients within six days.
The medical test was performed on 36 patients; 20 were given hydroxychloroquine (six of them also azithromycin) and 16 untreated patients were kept under control. The differences between the two types of patients begin to be detected from day three onwards. 70% of the patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were cured and only 12.5% of the untreated patients were cured. The six patients treated with azithromycin have recovered and the viral load has decreased drastically by the third day.
Although the test has been successful, it should be stressed that it is not extrapolated, as it has a very small basis for individuals. The authors of the medical test admit that this is not a very significant result, but consider that the publication of the test results is positive due to the global emergency situation.
International reactions
The investigation has been transferred to the international community, and health authorities in Jordan and New York (USA). In the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on March 21 on the success of this new treatment and on the possibility of a drug. Federal Food and Pharmaceutical Administration Commissioner Stephen Hann has asked the president for caution until more tests are done.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains - Thank you! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)....
— Donald J. Trump (@realGuitarTrump) March 21, 2020
The French State has been in favour of this new treatment, “if we have the opportunity to find a treatment that will save lives and cure patients, I have chosen from the first day to facilitate the preparation of clinical trials and pharmaceutical industry,” says State Health Minister Olivier Véran. Should the test prove its usefulness, the minister said that "as soon as possible" will be handed over to the French. The Hospital of Nice will be the next to carry out the tests in the Spanish state.