Low-dose Hydroxychloroquine and Bromhexine: a Novel Regimen for COVID-19 Prophylaxis in Healthcare Professionals

Summary

This study will investigate the security and efficacy of a daily low dose of hydroxychloroquine and Bromhexine, in preventing the development of the disease from COVID-19 in Health Care Workers at a National Institute of Health In Mexico City.

Timeline

Start

2021-02-01

Primary completion

2021-05-30

Completion

2021-06-30

Publications

• Background Pal M, Berhanu G, Desalegn C, Kandi V. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2): An Update. Cureus. 2020 Mar 26;12(3):e7423. doi: 10.7759/cureus.7423.
• Background Remuzzi A, Remuzzi G. COVID-19 and Italy: what next? Lancet. 2020 Apr 11;395(10231):1225-1228. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30627-9. Epub 2020 Mar 13.
• Background Luzzi GA, Peto TE. Adverse effects of antimalarials. An update. Drug Saf. 1993 Apr;8(4):295-311. doi: 10.2165/00002018-199308040-00004.
• Background Gao J, Tian Z, Yang X. Breakthrough: Chloroquine phosphate has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia in clinical studies. Biosci Trends. 2020 Mar 16;14(1):72-73. doi: 10.5582/bst.2020.01047. Epub 2020 Feb 19.
• Background Dutta D, Sharma M, Sharma R. Short-term Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 Infection in People With or Without Metabolic Syndrome - Clearing Safety Issues and Good Clinical Practice. Eur Endocrinol. 2020 Oct;16(2):109-112. doi: 10.17925/EE.2020.16.2.109. Epub 2020 Oct 6.
• Background Paiardini M, Muller-Trutwin M. HIV-associated chronic immune activation. Immunol Rev. 2013 Jul;254(1):78-101. doi: 10.1111/imr.12079.
• Background Chang R, Sun WZ. Repositioning chloroquine as antiviral prophylaxis against COVID-19: potential and challenges. Drug Discov Today. 2020 Oct;25(10):1786-1792. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.06.030. Epub 2020 Jul 3.
• Background Juurlink DN. Safety considerations with chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. CMAJ. 2020 Apr 27;192(17):E450-E453. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.200528. Epub 2020 Apr 8. No abstract available.
• Background Zanasi A, Mazzolini M, Kantar A. A reappraisal of the mucoactive activity and clinical efficacy of bromhexine. Multidiscip Respir Med. 2017 Mar 20;12:7. doi: 10.1186/s40248-017-0088-1. eCollection 2017.
• Background Depfenhart M, de Villiers D, Lemperle G, Meyer M, Di Somma S. Potential new treatment strategies for COVID-19: is there a role for bromhexine as add-on therapy? Intern Emerg Med. 2020 Aug;15(5):801-812. doi: 10.1007/s11739-020-02383-3. Epub 2020 May 26.
• Background Ravi N, Cortade DL, Ng E, Wang SX. Diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 detection: A comprehensive review of the FDA-EUA COVID-19 testing landscape. Biosens Bioelectron. 2020 Oct 1;165:112454. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112454. Epub 2020 Jul 18.
• Results Lai C, Yu R, Wang M, Xian W, Zhao X, Tang Q, Chen R, Zhou X, Li X, Li Z, Li Z, Deng G, Wang F. Shorter incubation period is associated with severe disease progression in patients with COVID-19. Virulence. 2020 Dec;11(1):1443-1452. doi: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1836894.
• Results Guan WJ, Ni ZY, Hu Y, Liang WH, Ou CQ, He JX, Liu L, Shan H, Lei CL, Hui DSC, Du B, Li LJ, Zeng G, Yuen KY, Chen RC, Tang CL, Wang T, Chen PY, Xiang J, Li SY, Wang JL, Liang ZJ, Peng YX, Wei L, Liu Y, Hu YH, Peng P, Wang JM, Liu JY, Chen Z, Li G, Zheng ZJ, Qiu SQ, Luo J, Ye CJ, Zhu SY, Zhong NS; China Medical Treatment Expert Group for Covid-19. Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med. 2020 Apr 30;382(18):1708-1720. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2002032. Epub 2020 Feb 28.
• Results Li C, Ji F, Wang L, Wang L, Hao J, Dai M, Liu Y, Pan X, Fu J, Li L, Yang G, Yang J, Yan X, Gu B. Asymptomatic and Human-to-Human Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a 2-Family Cluster, Xuzhou, China. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Jul;26(7):1626-1628. doi: 10.3201/eid2607.200718. Epub 2020 Jun 21.
• Results Xu H, Zhong L, Deng J, Peng J, Dan H, Zeng X, Li T, Chen Q. High expression of ACE2 receptor of 2019-nCoV on the epithelial cells of oral mucosa. Int J Oral Sci. 2020 Feb 24;12(1):8. doi: 10.1038/s41368-020-0074-x.
• Results Levy A, Yagil Y, Bursztyn M, Barkalifa R, Scharf S, Yagil C. ACE2 expression and activity are enhanced during pregnancy. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Dec;295(6):R1953-61. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.90592.2008. Epub 2008 Oct 22.
• Results Baig AM, Khaleeq A, Ali U, Syeda H. Evidence of the COVID-19 Virus Targeting the CNS: Tissue Distribution, Host-Virus Interaction, and Proposed Neurotropic Mechanisms. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2020 Apr 1;11(7):995-998. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122. Epub 2020 Mar 13.
• Results Zhan M, Qin Y, Xue X, Zhu S. Death from Covid-19 of 23 Health Care Workers in China. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jun 4;382(23):2267-2268. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2005696. Epub 2020 Apr 15. No abstract available.
• Results Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and Important Lessons From the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China: Summary of a Report of 72 314 Cases From the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020 Apr 7;323(13):1239-1242. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.2648. No abstract available.
• Results Liu Q, Bi G, Chen G, Guo X, Tu S, Tong X, Xu M, Liu M, Wang B, Jiang H, Wang J, Li H, Wang K, Liu D, Song C. Time-Dependent Distribution of Hydroxychloroquine in Cynomolgus Macaques Using Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling Method. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Jan 14;11:602880. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.602880. eCollection 2020.
• Results Wang LF, Lin YS, Huang NC, Yu CY, Tsai WL, Chen JJ, Kubota T, Matsuoka M, Chen SR, Yang CS, Lu RW, Lin YL, Chang TH. Hydroxychloroquine-inhibited dengue virus is associated with host defense machinery. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2015 Mar;35(3):143-56. doi: 10.1089/jir.2014.0038. Epub 2014 Oct 16.
• Results Helal GK, Gad MA, Abd-Ellah MF, Eid MS. Hydroxychloroquine augments early virological response to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in genotype-4 chronic hepatitis C patients. J Med Virol. 2016 Dec;88(12):2170-2178. doi: 10.1002/jmv.24575. Epub 2016 May 25.
• Results Wang M, Cao R, Zhang L, Yang X, Liu J, Xu M, Shi Z, Hu Z, Zhong W, Xiao G. Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Cell Res. 2020 Mar;30(3):269-271. doi: 10.1038/s41422-020-0282-0. Epub 2020 Feb 4. No abstract available.
• Results Yao X, Ye F, Zhang M, Cui C, Huang B, Niu P, Liu X, Zhao L, Dong E, Song C, Zhan S, Lu R, Li H, Tan W, Liu D. In Vitro Antiviral Activity and Projection of Optimized Dosing Design of Hydroxychloroquine for the Treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Jul 28;71(15):732-739. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa237.
• Results Han H, Ma Q, Li C, Liu R, Zhao L, Wang W, Zhang P, Liu X, Gao G, Liu F, Jiang Y, Cheng X, Zhu C, Xia Y. Profiling serum cytokines in COVID-19 patients reveals IL-6 and IL-10 are disease severity predictors. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020 Dec;9(1):1123-1130. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1770129.
• Results Chude CI, Amaravadi RK. Targeting Autophagy in Cancer: Update on Clinical Trials and Novel Inhibitors. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Jun 16;18(6):1279. doi: 10.3390/ijms18061279.
• Results Geleris J, Sun Y, Platt J, Zucker J, Baldwin M, Hripcsak G, Labella A, Manson DK, Kubin C, Barr RG, Sobieszczyk ME, Schluger NW. Observational Study of Hydroxychloroquine in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jun 18;382(25):2411-2418. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2012410. Epub 2020 May 7.
• Results Zahr N, Urien S, Llopis B, Pourcher V, Paccoud O, Bleibtreu A, Mayaux J, Gandjbakhch E, Hekimian G, Combes A, Benveniste O, Saadoun D, Allenbach Y, Pinna B, Cacoub P, Funck-Brentano C, Salem JE. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Therapie. 2021 Jul-Aug;76(4):285-295. doi: 10.1016/j.therap.2021.01.056. Epub 2021 Jan 28.
• Results Hoffmann M, Kleine-Weber H, Schroeder S, Kruger N, Herrler T, Erichsen S, Schiergens TS, Herrler G, Wu NH, Nitsche A, Muller MA, Drosten C, Pohlmann S. SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor. Cell. 2020 Apr 16;181(2):271-280.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.052. Epub 2020 Mar 5.
• Results Mareev VY, Orlova YA, Pavlikova EP, Matskeplishvili ST, Akopyan ZA, Plisyk AG, Seredenina EM, Asratyan DA, Potapenko AV, Malakhov PS, Samokhodskaya LM, Mershina EA, Sinitsyn VE, Bulanova MM, Fuks AA, Mareev YV, Begrambekova YL, Kamalov AA. [Combination therapy at an early stage of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Case series and design of the clinical trial "BromhexIne and Spironolactone for Coronsmall a, CyrillicvirUs Infection requiring hospiTalization (BISCUIT)"]. Kardiologiia. 2020 Sep 7;60(8):4-15. doi: 10.18087/cardio.2020.8.n1307. Russian.
• Granados-Montiel J, Hazan-Lasri E, Franco-Cendejas R, Chavez-Heres T, Silva-Bermudez P, Aguilar-Gaytan R, Manzano-Leon N, Mendez-Maldonado K, Alvarez-Arce A, Martinez-Portilla RJ. New prophylaxis regimen for SARS-CoV-2 infection in health professionals with low doses of hydroxychloroquine and bromhexine: a randomised, double-blind placebo clinical trial (ELEVATE Trial). BMJ Open. 2021 Aug 3;11(8):e045190. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045190.

Drugs

Indications