No Role of HCQ in COVID-19 Prophylaxis: A Survey amongst Indian Doctors
Debasis Datta, Samit Ghosal, Binayak Sinha, Sujata Datta, Twisha Chakraborty, Kalyan Kumar Gangopadhyay, Arup Ratan Dutta
The COVID-19 pandemic is being tackled on two fronts-prevention and treatment. In addition to behavioural strategies and vaccines (eagerly awaited), pharmacotherapy is also being employed in certain regions as a preventive strategy. In India, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), ivermectin, a variety of vitamin supplements are being used, with HCQ being the most popular among healthcare professionals. In addition to the evidence-based recommendations, it is important to ascertain the situation on the ground. We conducted a multicentric survey among physicians from a wide range of specialities to ascertain the usage on HCQ and its effects of COVID-19 prevention. We did not find any significant impact of HCQ on the prevention of COVID-19 (p=0.54) independent of the duration of its usage. This pilot project has the potential to act as a backbone for a larger study exploring the impact of pharmacological intervention on COVID-19 prevention.
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