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Hydroxychloroquine pre-exposure prophylaxis provides no protection against COVID-19 among health care workers: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital in North India

  • Shivani Juneja , Proteesh Rana EMAIL logo , Parvinder Chawla , Rekha Katoch , Kulvir Singh , Shobha Rana , Tamanna Mittal , Bhavnish Kaur and Simranjot kaur
Published/Copyright: January 7, 2022
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 33 Issue 1

Abstract

Objectives

The use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) prophylaxis has been recommended by the National task force constituted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the prevention of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers (HCWs). However, this recommendation was based essentially on the preclinical data and limited clinical experience. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HCQ as a pre-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19 infection among Indian HCWs.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs of a tertiary care hospital in north India. The HCQ prophylaxis was initiated among 996 HCWs and they were followed up to 8 weeks for conversion to COVID-19 positive status and any adverse drug reaction (ADR).

Results

About 10.3% of the study participants were tested positive for COVID-19 which was comparable to the positivity rate among HCWs not taking HCQ prophylaxis (9.7%).

Conclusions

HCQ was well tolerated at a weekly dose of 400 mg for 8 weeks but provided no additional benefit in prevention of COVID-19 among HCWs.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hydroxycholoroquine; prophylaxis
Corresponding author: Proteesh Rana, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  5. Ethical approval: Approval for the study was taken from the Institutional Ethics Committee.

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Received: 2021-08-15
Accepted: 2021-12-20
Published Online: 2022-01-07

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  15. Hydroxychloroquine pre-exposure prophylaxis provides no protection against COVID-19 among health care workers: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital in North India
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https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2021-0221
Keywords for this article
COVID-19; Hydroxycholoroquine; prophylaxis

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Minireviews
  3. Characteristics and management of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections
  4. Perspectives into the possible effects of the B.1.1.7 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on spermatogenesis
  5. Antibody-dependent enhancement of virus infection and disease: implications in COVID-19
  6. Reviews
  7. A new application of mTOR inhibitor drugs as potential therapeutic agents for COVID-19
  8. Increase in SARS-CoV-2 infected biomedical waste among low middle-income countries: environmental sustainability and impact with health implications
  9. A dossier on COVID-19 chronicle
  10. Vitamin supplementation as a potential adjunctive therapeutic approach for COVID-19: biological and clinical plausibility
  11. Original Articles
  12. COVID-19 infection in children with underlying malignancies in Iran
  13. Computational drug repurposing study of antiviral drugs against main protease, RNA polymerase, and spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 using molecular docking method
  14. COVID-19 disease in clinical setting: impact on gonadal function, transmission risk, and sperm quality in young males
  15. Hydroxychloroquine pre-exposure prophylaxis provides no protection against COVID-19 among health care workers: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital in North India
  16. Letter to the Editors
  17. The “Delta Plus” COVID-19 variant has evolved to become the next potential variant of concern: mutation history and measures of prevention
  18. Can sulfasalazine as an old drug with immunomodulatory and anti‐inflammatory effects be effective in COVID‐19?
  19. Using of calcium channel blockers in patients with COVID-19: a magic bullet or a double-edged sword?
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