Does Hydroxychloroquine Prevent COVID-19? Healthcare Workers Call for Duke’s Study | Nationwide

Durham, NC — Over 800 health workers enrolled in a Duke University-based study to determine if the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine could help prevent COVID-19, with more volunteers sponsored looking for.

Participants in the clinical trial are selected from a pool of people enrolled in the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) Registry. In addition, the Duke-based HERO Registry includes more than 13,600 healthcare workers in all 50 states, including over 1,000 in North Carolina.

The registry was created in March as a place for healthcare professionals to share information and experiences from the front lines of coronavirus outbreaks. Members will also be given the opportunity to participate in clinical trials. This summer could include some research into the first vaccine against the coronavirus, with Dr. Registry’s base investigator, principal investigator of the HERO research program and head of the Duke Clinical Laboratory. A place to become.

Hernandez said healthcare professionals are motivated to help find new ways to treat or prevent COVID-19.

“They are personally concerned about their health,” he said. “But what really struck them was their concern for the family and their protection.”

To date, the only study recruiting volunteers from the HERO Registry has included hydroxychloroquine or HCQ, which has been used to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

After President Donald Trump approved it as a way to prevent coronavirus infections, the drug received a lot of attention from the masses and the media, and revealed last month that he is taking it for that reason. The Food and Drug Administration warns against using HCQ to treat COVID-19 unless it is given in a hospital or as part of a clinical trial because of the risk of heart rate problems.

Interest in hydroxychloroquine has created dozens of clinical trials that test drugs alone or in combination with other drugs, including the antibiotic azithromycin. Most trials are still in progress, but British researchers announced Friday that they would discontinue a study involving nearly 4,700 people after initial results showed that hydroxychloroquine would not bring any benefit. did.

Participants in the HERO Registry survey must register with one of 40 sites across the country, including Duke, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston Salem. They are given either hydroxychloroquine or placebo for 30 days and do a complete online survey of their health, mood, and potential exposure to coronavirus. It has also been tested for COVID-19 before and after the trial.

This research is open to all types of people involved in healthcare, as well as the registry itself. This includes doctors, nurses, therapists and paramedics, as well as those who transport patients and prepare and provide food and cleanrooms for hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.

Bridget Thomas, who manages the HERO-HCQ trial at Wake Forest, said in a statement, “We are looking for everyone to serve in any kind of healthcare environment.” “We are looking for health professionals in all environments, including hospitals, outpatient and emergency medical clinics, nursing homes and home care to join the HERO community.”

The hydroxychloroquine test organizer wanted to enroll 15,000 workers at some point. Hernandez said that not many people may be needed to get effective results, and he continues to look for volunteers. To register for HERO Registry and to learn more about the hydroxychloroquine test, please visit: heroesresearch.org/..

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