Hydroxychloroquine

A retracted New England Journal of Medicine study on the link between CVD, renin-angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitor therapy and COVID-19 outcomes continues to be “widely cited” in medical literature, researchers wrote.

Research has shown that neither remdesivir nor hydroxychloroquine had any effect on COVID-19 mortality, and now findings indicate that the drugs had no significant effect on the rate of SARS-CoV-2 clearance in oropharyngeal samples.

The FDA is clear about the use of ivermectin, a drug used primarily to treat intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, as a potential therapy for COVID-19: It is not approved.

The FDA has issued a warning letter to an online pharmacy for allegedly selling unapproved and misbranded drugs, including hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, for the treatment of COVID-19, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.

Just 41% of Medicaid beneficiaries with systemic lupus erythematosus receive hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine within 2 years of diagnosis, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

With proper dosing — 5 mg/kg or less per day — the risk for retinal toxicity associated with hydroxychloroquine use is less than 2% for up to 10 years, according to a joint statement from four medical societies.

A mean hydroxychloroquine blood level of more than 1,068 ng/mL is associated with a 69% reduction in thrombotic events, compared with blood levels of less than 648 ng/mL, among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, according to data.

Baseline prednisone use is associated with an increased risk for poor outcomes among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who are tapering hydroxychloroquine, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis does not appear to increase the risk for depression, suicide, suicidal ideation or psychosis, compared with sulfasalazine, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Healio and Cardiology Today have curated a list of the most-read news in cardiology and cardiac intervention from 2020.