Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin effective in treating coronavirus: French study
March 28, 2020, 5:49 pm

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin effective in treating coronavirus: French study

this file photo taken on February 26, 2020, medical staff shows o at the IHU Mediterranee Infection Institute in Marseille, packets of a Nivaquine, tablets containing chloroquine and Plaqueril, tablets containing hydroxychloroquine, drugs that has shown signs of effectiveness against coronavirus. (AFP)

A combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin has been found effective in treating patients with the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to a study conducted by French researchers on 80 cases who recovered from the virus within six days of treatment. French study

The study was conducted by a team led by Didier Raoult of the IHU-Mediterranee Infection in France.

Out of the 80 patients who received a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, Raoult and his team found a clinical improvement in all but one patient, 86, who died. One 74-year-old patient was still in the ICU at the time the study was published.

Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial and anti-inflammatory used to treat auto-immune disorders such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but it has been tried with some success against symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

Regionally, Bahrain is one of the first countries to test hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, having first used the drug on February 26, two days after registering its first case of the coronavirus.

Around the world, countries are expanding access to hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, related compounds that are synthetic forms of quinine, which come from cinchona trees and have been used for centuries to treat malaria.

“We confirm the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine associated with azithromycin in the treatment of COVID-19 and its potential effectiveness in the early impairment of contagiousness,” the French researchers said in their study’s conclusion.

“Given the urgent therapeutic need to manage this disease with effective and safe drugs and given the negligible cost of both hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, we believe that other teams should urgently evaluate this therapeutic strategy both to avoid the spread of the disease and to treat patients before severe irreversible respiratory complications take hold,” the researchers added. French study

There is still debate among medical experts regarding the use of chloroquine as a treatment. The World Health Organization has not approved the use of chloroquine for coronavirus symptomatic treatment. In the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently studying a way to make the drug available for emergency use, but in a way that gives the government data about whether it is safe and effective. levant

source: Ismaeel Naar levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”