Comparative Analytical Study of Two Different Drug Regimens in Treatment of Covid 19 Positive Patients in Index Medical College Hospital and Research Center, Indore, India

Abstract

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus that first emerged in Wuhan, China. Considering the novel nature of the coronavirus, there are not yet any proven treatment strategies. In this emergency, there is no specific pharmacologic treatment that specifically targets and kill the virus or control the infection and improve the clinical outcomes. Several drugs were repurposed for this illness based on in-vitro studies or minimal evidence to combat the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.Aims and objectives: To compare efficacy of two regimens’, Regimen 1 (hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin) and Regimen 2 (hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and ivermectin) in Covid-19 positive patients.
Materials and methods: An observation study on 100 Covid 19 positive patients having age between 20-60 years of either sex was conducted from April to May 2020. Patients below 20 years of and above 60 years of age and having chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes and others were excluded. Group 1 received oral hydroxychloroquine 400 mg twice a day with azithromycin 500 mg once a day. Both medications were given by per oral route for a period of 7 days. Group 2 received hydroxychloroquine 400 mg twice a day with azithromycin 500 mg once a day and ivermectin 12 mg once a day. All medications were given by per oral route for a period of 7 days.Results: Mean age of patients in Group 1 and Group 2 was 37.62 ± 11.609 years and 38.20±11.73 years respectively (p=0.804). No significant difference was obtained between the SpO2 concentration (p=0.778). When we did final the COVID-19 testing, it showed that majority of the patients were found negative in the group 2, whereas 94% were found to be positive in the group 1. This difference was statistically significant with the p value of <0.001. Conclusion: The treatment with HCQ, azithromycin, and ivermectin had a better success rate compared to HCQ and azithromycin. Based on the results, ivermectin could be the potential therapeutic agents for the COVID-19 disease. The study had various limitations; so further randomized controlled trial is required for the results to be implemented on the larger population.