Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Combination of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in the Treatment of Covid-19 in a Moroccan Population

Abstract

Context: Morocco has adopted the protocol combining hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with azithromycin to treat patients with Covid-19, mainly based on Chinese studies and those of the IHU Mediterranee team in Marseille. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of this association in a Moroccan population. Methods: We conducted a prospective descriptive analytical study at the center of virology, infectious and tropical diseases to assess the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine associated with azithromycin for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. All patients hospitalized at the center between March 16, 2020 and May 16, 2020 were included in this study with a positive RT-PCR result for SARS-Cov2. Results: 125 patients were hospitalized during this period meeting the inclusion criteria. All patients benefited from the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. We studied the clinical, biological and CT parameters that could be associated with early viral clearance with a negative RT-PCR on D6 and D8. The average age at diagnosis is 37.98 +/- 12.13 years. 121 patients (96.8%) are cured after 10 days of treatment. 32 patients (25.6%) had a viral clearance on D6 and D8. We did not find any factors significantly associated with early viral clearance. Conclusion: Our study is inconsistent with work published by other teams regarding early viral clearance in patients treated with the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, although clinical healing has been achieved in the majority of patients.