Evaluation of the Efficacy of Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine in the Treatment of Individuals with COVID-19: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

This work consists of a literature review that aims to evaluate the effects and efficacy of two drugs used to treat individuals with COVID-19 chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Both drugs have demonstrated antiviral activity against the new coronavirus in in vitro tests. However, there is currently no strong evidence from well-designed controlled studies of COVID-19 therapies tested in humans. In addition, the evidence on the effects of drugs on patients is extremely limited. The search for evidence was made from five chosen databases, and after applying the criteria for inclusion and exclusion of articles, 5 publications were obtained, which represented the basis for the construction of this work. We concluded that, in relation to CQ, no favorable outcomes were found in relation to its use. High doses of this drug can increase lethality due to the prolongation of the QT interval, and lower doses could not estimate evident benefits in infected patients. Assessing the results of HCQ, it can be concluded that more studies are needed to effectively use this drug in the treatment of individuals with COVID-19. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.