ArticleThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene2020
Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for the Prevention or Treatment of COVID-19 in Africa: Caution for Inappropriate Off-label Use in Healthcare Settings.
Article in The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 142 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the use of renin-angiotensin system drugs and COVID-19 clinical outcomes: What is the evidence so far?Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2020Pooled it
- Baseline results of a living systematic review for COVID-19 clinical trial registrations.Wellcome open research · 2020Pooled it
- Reflections on Participation in a Trial on Hydroxychloroquine as Prevention for COVID-19 among Health Workers in Niger.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Trial
- RETRACTED: Hydroxychloroquine in the Treatment of COVID-19: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2020Trial
- COVID-19 and a Tale of Three Drugs: To Repurpose, or Not to Repurpose-That Was the Question.Viruses · 2025Review
- Article
- Detection of Substandard and Falsified Antibiotics Sold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Using Validated HPLC and UV-Visible Spectrophotometric Methods.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- Did Ghana Do Enough? A Scientometric Analysis of COVID-19 Research Output from Ghana within the African Context.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Self-Medication Including Antibiotics among Health Care Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Assessing the Clinical Characteristics and Management of COVID-19 among Pediatric Patients in Ghana: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Adherence to WHO Criteria on Drug Promotion Literature: An Exploratory Study From a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in South-West Nigeria.Hospital pharmacy · 2023Article
- Awareness and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and associated factors among pharmacy students in Zambia.Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi · 2022Article
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic across Africa: Current Status of Vaccinations and Implications for the Future.Vaccines · 2022Article
- Knowledge, risk-perception, and uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.African health sciences · 2022Article
- Impact of Parental Knowledge and Beliefs on HPV Vaccine Hesitancy in Kenya-Findings and Implications.Vaccines · 2022Article
- Exploring Knowledge of Antibiotic Use, Resistance, and Stewardship Programs among Pharmacy Technicians Serving in Ambulatory Care Settings in Pakistan and the Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Willingness to Accept the COVID-19 Vaccine and Related Factors among Indian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Vaccines · 2022Article
- Article
- Early Alterations of QTc in Patients with COVID-19 Treated with Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine in Libreville, Gabon.Clinics and practice · 2022Article
- Co-Infections, Secondary Infections, and Antimicrobial Use in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 during the First Five Waves of the Pandemic in Pakistan; Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 13 institutions in 12 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 pandemic has spread to Africa, where nearly all countries have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although there are ongoing clinical trials of repurposed and investigational antiviral and immune-based therapies, there are as yet no scientifically proven, clinically effective pharmacological treatments for COVID-19. Among the repurposed drugs, the commonly used antimalarials chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have become the focus of global scientific, media, and political attention despite a lack of randomized clinical trials supporting their efficacy. Chloroquine has been used worldwide for about 75 years and is listed by the WHO as an essential medicine to treat malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is mainly used as a therapy for autoimmune diseases. However, the efficacy and safety of CQ/HCQ for the treatment of COVID-19 remains to be defined. Indiscriminate promotion and widespread use of CQ/HCQ have led to extensive shortages, self-treatment, and fatal overdoses. Shortages and increased market prices leave all countries vulnerable to substandard and falsified medical products, and safety issues are especially concerning for Africa because of its healthcare system limitations. Much needed in Africa is a cross-continental collaborative network for coordinated production, distribution, and post-marketing surveillance aligned to low-cost distribution of any approved COVID-19 drug; this would ideally be piggybacked on existing global aid efforts. Meanwhile, African countries should strongly consider implementing prescription monitoring schemes to ensure that any off-label CQ/HCQ use is appropriate and beneficial during this pandemic.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.