Both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been reported to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, although hydroxychloroquine appears to have more potent antiviral activity as Chloroquine is included in China's National Health Commission treatment guidelines. As per available evidence it has been suggested that the drug is associated with the reduced progression of disease and duration of symptoms . However, primary data supporting these claims have not yet been published .
In an open-label study of 36 patients with COVID-19, use of hydroxychloroquine (200 mg three times per day for 10 days) was associated with a higher rate of undetectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA on nasopharyngeal specimens at day 6 compared with no specific treatment (70 versus 12.5 percent). The same study showed that the use of azithromycin in combination with hydroxychloroquine led to additional benefits, but there are certain…
