Hydroxychloroquine as Chemoprevention for COVID-19 for High Risk Healthcare Workers

Given the lack of data regarding use of HCQ for COVID-19 prevention in healthy participants in midst of pandemic crisis, this study proposes an expedited feasibility study focusing on safety and early efficacy.

Prior to HCQ administration, baseline SARS-CoV-2 and other baseline biomarker testing will be conducted. During the 4-week study period, participants will be monitored for drug related adverse events and assessed for development of COVID. SARS-CoV-2 assay and biomarker testing will be repeated at the end of four-week study. Safety outcomes will be assessed by the number of adverse events (AEs) and their severity; and early efficacy as the number of participants who tested positive at the end of the 4-week period comparing to data collected by occupational Health regarding the total number of high-risk healthcare workers that were tested positive during the same period and historical controls from known high risk infection rates. An exploratory analysis of inflammatory regulation and immunomodulatory markers by HCQ and its effect on possible disease modification based on previously studied pathophysiological mechanism of COVID-19.

The broader aim of this study is to set a precedent to facilitate a large-scale emergent public health intervention. Purpose would be to mitigate, or abort further transmission of COVID-19. Given that COVID-19 transmission has occurred prior to initiation of this study, the rationale for this intervention is based on prior epidemiological evidence. Post-infectious or vaccination-induced immunity in at least 30% of population at-risk has been shown to mitigate or abort propagation of a local epidemics and global pandemic. This would help flatten the curve of the disease progression, until such time that a vaccine may become available. Data from this study will be used to design and implement a population-based phase IIb/III randomized clinical trial.

Inclusion criteria

• Volunteers ages 18 to 99 years,
• Able to sign own informed consent form,
• Considered high-risk healthcare care providers in a hospital setting with active exposure to COVID-19 infection.

High-risk healthcare providers are defined as those actively working during the study duration in the Emergency Department and in the Intensive Care Setting, for the purpose of this study.

Exclusion criteria

• Inability to tolerate an oral medication or known allergy to chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine
• Pregnancy or breast-feeding
• Immunocompromised status, hepatic failure, electrolytic imbalance
• Creatinine clearance (CCL) <30 mL/min
• Prolonged QT interval (QTc > 450ms for males and QTc > 470 for females)
• Confirmed COVID-19 infection on baseline testing
• Has another known contraindication to treatment with the study drug, including retinopathy.