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Furtado RHM, Barros E Silva PGM, Fonseca HAR, Serpa-Neto A, Correa TD, Guimarães HP, Pereira AJ, Olivato GB, Zampieri FG, Lisboa T, Junqueira DLM, Lapa MG, Monfardini F, Damiani LP, Echenique LS, Gebara OE, Hoffman Filho CR, Polanczyk CA, Rohde LE, Amazonas R, Machado FR, Avezum A, Azevedo LCP, Veiga VC, Rosa RG, Lopes RD, Cavalcanti AB, Berwanger O. Cardiovascular Safety of Azithromycin in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19: A Prespecified Pooled Analysis of the COALITION I and COALITION II Randomized Clinical Trials. Am J Cardiol 2024; 214:18-24. [PMID: 38104755 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2023.11.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The cardiovascular safety from azithromycin in the treatment of several infectious diseases has been challenged. In this prespecified pooled analysis of 2 multicenter randomized clinical trials, we aimed to assess whether the use of azithromycin might lead to corrected QT (QTc) interval prolongation or clinically relevant ventricular arrhythmias. In the COALITION COVID Brazil I trial, 667 patients admitted with moderate COVID-19 were randomly allocated to hydroxychloroquine, hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, or standard of care. In the COALITION COVID Brazil II trial, 447 patients with severe COVID-19 were randomly allocated to hydroxychloroquine alone versus hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin. The principal end point for the present analysis was the composite of death, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or ventricular arrhythmias. The addition of azithromycin to hydroxychloroquine did not result in any prolongation of the QTc interval (425.8 ± 3.6 ms vs 427.9 ± 3.9 ms, respectively, mean difference -2.1 ms, 95% confidence interval -12.5 to 8.4 ms, p = 0.70). The combination of azithromycin plus hydroxychloroquine compared with hydroxychloroquine alone did not result in increased risk of the primary end point (proportion of patients with events at 15 days 17.2% vs 16.0%, respectively, hazard ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.49, p = 0.65). In conclusion, in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 already receiving standard-of-care management (including hydroxychloroquine), the addition of azithromycin did not result in the prolongation of the QTc interval or increase in cardiovascular adverse events. Because azithromycin is among the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents, our results may inform clinical practice. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04322123, NCT04321278.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remo H M Furtado
- Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Ary Serpa-Neto
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Brazilian Intensive Care Research Network (BRICNET), São Paulo, Brazil; Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Center (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | - Adriano J Pereira
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Brazilian Intensive Care Research Network (BRICNET), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Thiago Lisboa
- HCor Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; Brazilian Intensive Care Research Network (BRICNET), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Maura G Lapa
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Lucas P Damiani
- Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leandro S Echenique
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Moriah, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Carisi A Polanczyk
- Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Hospital de Clínicas (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Luis E Rohde
- Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Hospital de Clínicas (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | | | - Flávia R Machado
- Brazilian Intensive Care Research Network (BRICNET), São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Intensive Care Medicine; Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alvaro Avezum
- International Research Center, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luciano C P Azevedo
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Sírio Libanês Research and Education Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Viviane C Veiga
- Brazilian Intensive Care Research Network (BRICNET), São Paulo, Brazil; BP A Beneficiência Portuguesa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Regis G Rosa
- Brazilian Intensive Care Research Network (BRICNET), São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Renato D Lopes
- Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; Duke University Medical Center, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Otavio Berwanger
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; The George Institute for Global Health, London, United Kingdom
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Furtado RHM, Berwanger O, Fonseca HA, Corrêa TD, Ferraz LR, Lapa MG, Zampieri FG, Veiga VC, Azevedo LCP, Rosa RG, Lopes RD, Avezum A, Manoel ALO, Piza FMT, Martins PA, Lisboa TC, Pereira AJ, Olivato GB, Dantas VCS, Milan EP, Gebara OCE, Amazonas RB, Oliveira MB, Soares RVP, Moia DDF, Piano LPA, Castilho K, Momesso RGRAP, Schettino GPP, Rizzo LV, Neto AS, Machado FR, Cavalcanti AB. Azithromycin in addition to standard of care versus standard of care alone in the treatment of patients admitted to the hospital with severe COVID-19 in Brazil (COALITION II): a randomised clinical trial. Lancet 2020; 396:959-967. [PMID: 32896292 PMCID: PMC7836431 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31862-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The efficacy and safety of azithromycin in the treatment of COVID-19 remain uncertain. We assessed whether adding azithromycin to standard of care, which included hydroxychloroquine, would improve clinical outcomes of patients admitted to the hospital with severe COVID-19. METHODS We did an open-label, randomised clinical trial at 57 centres in Brazil. We enrolled patients admitted to hospital with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and at least one additional severity criteria as follows: use of oxygen supplementation of more than 4 L/min flow; use of high-flow nasal cannula; use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation; or use of invasive mechanical ventilation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to azithromycin (500 mg via oral, nasogastric, or intravenous administration once daily for 10 days) plus standard of care or to standard of care without macrolides. All patients received hydroxychloroquine (400 mg twice daily for 10 days) because that was part of standard of care treatment in Brazil for patients with severe COVID-19. The primary outcome, assessed by an independent adjudication committee masked to treatment allocation, was clinical status at day 15 after randomisation, assessed by a six-point ordinal scale, with levels ranging from 1 to 6 and higher scores indicating a worse condition (with odds ratio [OR] greater than 1·00 favouring the control group). The primary outcome was assessed in all patients in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population who had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection confirmed by molecular or serological testing before randomisation (ie, modified ITT [mITT] population). Safety was assessed in all patients according to which treatment they received, regardless of original group assignment. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04321278. FINDINGS 447 patients were enrolled from March 28 to May 19, 2020. COVID-19 was confirmed in 397 patients who constituted the mITT population, of whom 214 were assigned to the azithromycin group and 183 to the control group. In the mITT population, the primary endpoint was not significantly different between the azithromycin and control groups (OR 1·36 [95% CI 0·94-1·97], p=0·11). Rates of adverse events, including clinically relevant ventricular arrhythmias, resuscitated cardiac arrest, acute kidney failure, and corrected QT interval prolongation, were not significantly different between groups. INTERPRETATION In patients with severe COVID-19, adding azithromycin to standard of care treatment (which included hydroxychloroquine) did not improve clinical outcomes. Our findings do not support the routine use of azithromycin in combination with hydroxychloroquine in patients with severe COVID-19. FUNDING COALITION COVID-19 Brazil and EMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remo H M Furtado
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Thiago D Corrêa
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Maura G Lapa
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando G Zampieri
- Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; HCor Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Viviane C Veiga
- Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; BP-A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luciano C P Azevedo
- Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Sírio Libanês Research and Education Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Regis G Rosa
- Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Renato D Lopes
- Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil; Duke University Medical Centre, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alvaro Avezum
- International Research Center, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Adriano J Pereira
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Vila Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Guilherme B Olivato
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Hospital Vila Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ary Serpa Neto
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Flávia R Machado
- Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Intensive Care Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexandre B Cavalcanti
- Brazilian Research in Intensive Care Network, São Paulo, Brazil; HCor Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
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