None of the drugs tested in the World Health Organization's Solidarity trial prevented in-hospital deaths, shortened hospital stays or reduced the need for ventilators in COVID-19 patients, according to the University of Minnesota.
The trial tested the drugs remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon-beta-1a in 11,266 patients in 405 hospitals in 30 countries and took place from March 22 to Oct. 4. The interim results were published Dec. 2 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
In the group of 2,743 patients who received remdesivir, 301 died, compared to 303 of the 2,708 patients in the placebo group.
In the hydroxychloroquine group, 104 out of the 947 patients died compared to 84 out of the 906 patients in the placebo group.
"No drug definitely reduced mortality, overall or in any subgroup, or reduced initiation of ventilation or hospitalization duration," the researchers wrote.
Three of the drugs — hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon beta-1a — have no place in COVID-19 treatment, according to David Harrington, PhD, of Harvard University; Lindsey Baden, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital; and Joseph Hogan, ScD, of Brown University. They wrote in an editorial that, while the three drugs shouldn't be used in COVID-19 patients, other remdesivir trials show that it may still be useful.
Other remdesivir trials have suggested it could speed recovery time and shorten the length of hospital days.
"Even without a reduction in in-hospital mortality, reducing the time to recovery and hospital discharge among patients who survive is important, both for patients and for stressed healthcare systems, and was the basis for the recent approval of remdesivir by the Food and Drug Administration," the editorial authors wrote.