Alberta Launches Clinical Trial to Study Effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine in Preventing Hospitalizations Due to COVID-19

Alberta HOPE COVID-19 Trial is planning to recruit 1,600 Albertans to study the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) – an anti-malarial drug currently used mostly for immunological disorders like rheumatoid arthritis –  in preventing hospitalization for people at the highest risk of developing severe symptoms of COVID-19.

A  blind, clinical trial study conducted in Wuhan  (preprint, not subjected to peer review) suggests that the treatment group of COVID-19 patients showed significant improvements in pneumonia-like symptoms after 5-day HCQ (400 mg/d) treatment.

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The clinical trial is being led by the University of Calgary and University of Alberta researchers, with support from the Alberta government ($286,000 grant), Alberta Health Services and its Strategic Clinical Networks, Calgary Health Trust, Alberta Innovates and the University of Calgary/Alberta Health Services Clinical Research Fund.

Dr. Luanne Metz, study lead, and professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary said,  “We will be targeting Albertans who are at risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. Those include people over 18, living independently, who have an underlying medical condition which has proven to contribute to the worsening of symptoms, and eventual hospitalization.”