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Correspondence
Role of antimalarials in COVID-19: observational data from a cohort of rheumatic patients
  1. Ennio Giulio Favalli1,
  2. Orazio De Lucia1,
  3. Martina Biggioggero1,
  4. Nicoletta Del Papa1,
  5. Roberto Caporali1,2
  1. 1 Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Gaetano Pini-CTO, Milano, Italy
  2. 2 Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Research Center for Adult and Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ennio Giulio Favalli, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Gaetano Pini-CTO, Milano 20122, Italy; ennio.favalli{at}gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218068

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    The potential role of chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the management of COVID-19 is certainly of relevance in this health emergency scenario. For this reason, we read with great interest the letter published by Romão and colleagues highlighting the need for more definite evidence on the role of antimalarial drugs in both preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection and making COVID-19 clinical course milder.1 While several ongoing clinical trials are progressively providing controversial data about the real efficacy and safety of antimalarials in the treatment of overt COVID-19,2–4 rheumatological patients already taking CQ or HCQ for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases are an excellent bench for testing the potential effect in preventing the contagion.5 Being operative in the Research Center for Adult and Paediatric Rheumatic Diseases of the ASST Gaetano Pini-CTO in Milan (Lombardy), we had the opportunity to …

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Josef Smolen

    • Contributors EGF designed the study, made the statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. ODL was responsible for data collection. MB, NDP and RC drafted and revised the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

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