Many trials of hydroxychloroquine for SARS-CoV-2 were redundant and potentially unethical: an analysis of the NIH clinical trials registry.
J Clin Epidemiol
; 143: 73-80, 2022 03.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1509965
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
We sought to map the landscape of trials investigating hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for SARS-CoV-2 in order to draw conclusions about how clinical trials have been conducted in the pandemic environment and offer potential regulatory recommendations. STUDY DESIGN ANDSETTING:
We identified and captured data related to registered studies using HCQ to treat SARS-CoV-2 registered with the publicly available National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Trials Registry between February and November 2020.RESULTS:
Between February and November 2020, 206 studies investigating HCQ in SARS-CoV-2 were registered with the NIH Clinical Trials Registry. As of November 2020, 135 studies were listed as ongoing, 22 have been completed, and 46 are either suspended or have been terminated. Reasons for suspension or termination included difficulties with patient recruitment (n = 9), emerging evidence showing a lack of benefit of HCQ (n = 7), and recommendations by regulatory boards to discontinue (n = 10).CONCLUSION:
Many clinical trials of HCQ were launched in the first months of the pandemic, and a significant proportion of them remained active as of November 2020. The medical community appears to have responded very quickly to political interest in HCQ, while responding much more slowly to the evolving medical evidence of its lack of efficacy.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Clinical Trials as Topic
/
COVID-19
/
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
/
Hydroxychloroquine
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Clin Epidemiol
Journal subject:
Epidemiology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jclinepi.2021.11.011
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