Pharmacological treatment for COVID-19 in latin american protocols: A narrative review of the effectiveness and safety

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22239/2317-269x.01741

Keywords:

COVID-19; Clinical protocols; Medicaments; Evidence-Based Medicine; Latin America

Abstract

Introduction: The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has put the global scientific community in an accelerated pace of research for an effective treatment for COVID-19. Objective: To identify and evaluate drugs in Latin American protocols of pharmacological treatment for COVID-19. Method: The evidence and mega trial results available to date on the most frequent medications are analyzed. Results: The most common drugs in national protocols are hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and remdesivir. None of the drugs that collect the most data from clinical studies, with the except for dexamethasone in a small subgroup of patients, so far showed significant differences in mortality. Conclusions: The emerging situation of COVID-19 has determined hasty and controversial decision-making based on questionable and/or low-quality studies. This highlights the provisional nature of the information and the possibility of generating changes as more results become available. Advance medication authorization exposes a known problem. Although regulatory agility is required at this time, speed should not overlap with basic ethical standards and trust in evidence.

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Published

2020-08-14

Issue

Section

COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Revision

How to Cite

Pharmacological treatment for COVID-19 in latin american protocols: A narrative review of the effectiveness and safety. (2020). Health Surveillance under Debate: Society, Science & Technology , 8(3), 150-160. https://doi.org/10.22239/2317-269x.01741