In vitro testing of combined hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on SARS-CoV-2 shows synergistic effect

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104228Get rights and content

Highlights

  • SARS-CoV 2 emergence and spreading need to found urgently therapeutics.

  • Drug repurposing is the best strategy for quick therapeutic response.

  • Azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine shows synergistic effect on replication.

  • Concentrations of drugs are more compatible with in vivo concentrations.

Abstract

Human coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 appeared at the end of 2019 and led to a pandemic with high morbidity and mortality. As there are currently no effective drugs targeting this virus, drug repurposing represents a short-term strategy to treat millions of infected patients at low costs. Hydroxychloroquine showed an antiviral effect in vitro. In vivo it showed efficacy, especially when combined with azithromycin in a preliminary clinical trial. Here we demonstrate that the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin has a synergistic effect in vitro on SARS-CoV-2 at concentrations compatible with that obtained in human lung.

Keywords

2019-nCoV
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Hydroxychloroquine
Azithromycin
Vero E6

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