Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35233389›Full record

ArticleERJ open research2022

Azithromycin for treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients: a randomised, multicentre, open-label clinical trial (DAWn-AZITHRO).

Iwein Gyselinck, Laurens Liesenborghs, Ann Belmans, Matthias M Engelen, Albrecht Betrains, Quentin Van Thillo, Pham Anh Hong Nguyen, Pieter Goeminne, Ann-Catherine Soenen, Nikolaas De Maeyer and 13 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in ERJ open research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Observational
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Iwein GyselinckDept of Respiratory Diseases, UZ Leuven and CHROMETA, Research group BREATHE, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4068-7228
Laurens LiesenborghsLaboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Dept of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Ann BelmansLeuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre (L-BioStat), KU Leuven, Leuven and University Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium.
Matthias M EngelenDept of Cardiovascular Diseases, UZ Leuven and Centre for Molecular and Vascular Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Albrecht BetrainsDept of General Internal Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Quentin Van ThilloCenter for Cancer Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3260-280X
Pham Anh Hong NguyenDept of Respiratory Diseases, Onze Lieve Vrouw Ziekenhuis, Aalst, Belgium.
Pieter GoeminneDept of Respiratory Diseases, AZ Nikolaas, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium.
Ann-Catherine SoenenDept of Respiratory Diseases, Jan Yperman Ziekenhuis, Ypres, Belgium.
Nikolaas De MaeyerDept of Respiratory Diseases, Heilig Hart Ziekenhuis, Leuven, Belgium.
Charles PiletteDept of Respiratory Diseases, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
Emmanuelle PapleuxDept of Respiratory Diseases, Hôpitaux Iris Sud, Brussels, Belgium.
Eef VanderhelstDept of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5552-1645
Aurélie DerweduwenDept of Respiratory Diseases, AZ Klina, Brasschaat, Belgium.
Patrick AlexanderDept of Respiratory Diseases, AZ Glorieux, Ronse, Belgium.
Bernard BouckaertDept of Respiratory Diseases, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4363-1024
Jean-Benoît MartinotDept of Respiratory Diseases, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire-UC Louvain, Namur, Belgium.
Lynn DecosterDept of Respiratory Diseases, AZ Turnhout, Turnhout, Belgium.
Kurt VandeurzenDept of Respiratory Diseases, Mariaziekenhuis Noord Limburg, Pelt, Belgium.
Rob SchildermansDept of Respiratory Diseases, AZ Sint Lucas, Bruges, Belgium.
Peter VerhammeDept of Cardiovascular Diseases, UZ Leuven and Centre for Molecular and Vascular Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8698-2858
Wim JanssensDept of Respiratory Diseases, UZ Leuven and CHROMETA, Research group BREATHE, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1830-2982
Robin VosDept of Respiratory Diseases, UZ Leuven and CHROMETA, Research group BREATHE, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3468-9251

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesAzithromycin was rapidly adopted as a repurposed drug to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) early in the pandemic. We aimed to evaluate its efficacy in patients hospitalised for COVID-19.

methodsIn a series of randomised, open-label, phase 2 proof-of-concept, multicentre clinical trials (Direct Antivirals Working against the novel coronavirus (DAWn)), several treatments were compared with standard of care. In 15 Belgian hospitals, patients hospitalised with moderate to severe COVID-19 were allocated 2:1 to receive standard of care plus azithromycin or standard of care alone. The primary outcome was time to live discharge or sustained clinical improvement, defined as a two-point improvement on the World Health Organization (WHO) ordinal scale sustained for at least 3 days.

resultsPatients were included between April 22 and December 17, 2020. When 15-day follow-up data were available for 160 patients (56% of preset cohort), an interim analysis was performed at request of the independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board. Subsequently, DAWn-AZITHRO was stopped for futility. In total, 121 patients were allocated to the treatment arm and 64 patients to the standard-of-care arm. We found no effect of azithromycin on the primary outcome with a hazard ratio of 1.044 (95% CI 0.772-1.413; p=0.7798). None of the predefined subgroups showed significant interaction as covariates in the Fine-Gray regression analysis. No benefit of azithromycin was found on any of the short- and longer-term secondary outcomes.

conclusionTime to clinical improvement is not influenced by azithromycin in patients hospitalised with moderate to severe COVID-19.

Identifiers

PMID35233389
PMCPMC8801156

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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.