Trends in drugs usage for COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in a hospital in Lima, Peru

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological trends in patients with COVID-19 from a hospital in Peru during the first wave of the pandemic. Retrospective study conducted between April and September 2020. The medical records of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia at the Dos de Mayo National Hospital (Lima, Peru) were reviewed. Of a total of 3103 patients, 381 medical records were included (77.4% male, median age: 44 years). The use of four prehospital drugs increased (azithromycin, ivermectin, corticosteroids, and ceftriaxone), while the in-hospital use of six drugs (ceftriaxone, azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, corticosteroid pulse, and prophylactic anticoagulation) decreased and in-hospital anticoagulation use decreased. These findings suggest that the management of COVID-19 has varied during the first wave of the pandemic, typically increasing prehospital drug use and decreasing inpatient use.