French Researchers Tested Drug Combo To Treat Covid-19; US President Trump Calls It Game Changer

Researchers in France have just issued an official statement showing how a combination of antibiotics and antimalarial medication might be a very important weapon against the coronavirus (COVID-19). The research has caught global attention, notably from US President Donald Trump.

They prescribed the antibiotic azithromycin and antimalarial hydroxychloroquine to patients early this month and their research is published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. However, some experts have urged caution around this drug combination as it could leave very serious consequences.

In laboratory tests, all three drugs appeared to be effective against Covid-19 and Chloroquine is currently used as the recommended antiviral to treat Covid-19 in China. However, to put any drug into practice, clinical trials are needed.

French scientists conducted the first clinical studies on the effectiveness of using hydroxychloroquine separately and in combination with azithromycin antibiotic to treat Covid-19 at the IHU-Méditerranée Infection in Marseille. 

The study involved 36 adult patients. Six of them were asymptomatic while eight of them had lower respiratory tract infection symptoms, and the 22 had upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Those who did not agree to use the new drug were placed in the control group of 16 people, who were still treated with the same regimen as before.

The remaining 20 patients took 200 milligrams of hydroxychloroquine combination three times per day for 10 days. In addition to hydroxychloroquine, they were given 500 milligrams of Azithromycin daily for the first day then 250 milligrams for the next five days. In cases of severe pneumonia, they also get a broad-spectrum antibiotic as well. According to the researchers, the patients “showed a significant reduction of the viral carriage,” 6 days after using the drug combo, and “much lower average carrying duration,” in comparison to untreated patients.

After six days, all patients were tested negative and the results were confirmed in the following days. Thus, all patients with Covid-19 in the test group were treated in five days. The scientists noted that, despite the fact that the trial group was small to confirm the results and larger clinical trials were needed, the results were encouraging.

However, you must not take these by yourself. Infectious diseases physician Dr. Edsel Salvana warned people not to take azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine unless prescribed by a doctor