Medical Dialogues
  • Dermatology
Login Register
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
Login Register
  • MD Brand Connect
  • Vaccine Hub
  • MDTV
    • Breaking News
    • Medical News Today
    • Health News Today
    • Latest
    • Journal Club
    • Medico Legal Update
    • Latest Webinars
    • MD Shorts
    • Health Dialogues
  • Fact Check
  • Health Dialogues
Medical Dialogues
  • Medical News & Guidelines
      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiology and CTVS
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diabetes and Endocrinology
      • ENT
      • Gastroenterology
      • Medicine
      • Nephrology
      • Neurology
      • Obstretics-Gynaecology
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopaedics
      • Pediatrics-Neonatology
      • Psychiatry
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Surgery
      • Urology
      • Laboratory Medicine
      • Diet
      • Nursing
      • Paramedical
      • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
      • Doctor News
      • Government Policies
      • Hospital & Diagnostics
      • International Health News
      • Medical Organization News
      • Medico Legal News
      • NBE News
      • NMC News
  • Fact Check
      • Bone Health Fact Check
      • Brain Health Fact Check
      • Cancer Related Fact Check
      • Child Care Fact Check
      • Dental and oral health fact check
      • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
      • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
      • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
      • Fitness fact check
      • Gut health fact check
      • Heart health fact check
      • Kidney health fact check
      • Medical education fact check
      • Men's health fact check
      • Respiratory fact check
      • Skin and hair care fact check
      • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
      • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
    • Homeopathy
    • Siddha
    • Unani
    • Yoga
  • State News
      • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
      • Andhra Pradesh
      • Arunachal Pradesh
      • Assam
      • Bihar
      • Chandigarh
      • Chattisgarh
      • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
      • Daman and Diu
      • Delhi
      • Goa
      • Gujarat
      • Haryana
      • Himachal Pradesh
      • Jammu & Kashmir
      • Jharkhand
      • Karnataka
      • Kerala
      • Ladakh
      • Lakshadweep
      • Madhya Pradesh
      • Maharashtra
      • Manipur
      • Meghalaya
      • Mizoram
      • Nagaland
      • Odisha
      • Puducherry
      • Punjab
      • Rajasthan
      • Sikkim
      • Tamil Nadu
      • Telangana
      • Tripura
      • Uttar Pradesh
      • Uttrakhand
      • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
      • Ayush Education News
      • Dentistry Education News
      • Medical Admission News
      • Medical Colleges News
      • Medical Courses News
      • Medical Universities News
      • Nursing education News
      • Paramedical Education News
      • Study Abroad
  • Industry
      • Health Investment News
      • Health Startup News
      • Medical Devices News
      • Pharma News
      • Pharmacy Education News
      • Industry Perspective
  • MDTV
      • Health Dialogues MDTV
      • Health News today MDTV
      • Latest Videos MDTV
      • Latest Webinars MDTV
      • MD shorts MDTV
      • Medical News Today MDTV
      • Medico Legal Update MDTV
      • Top Videos MDTV
      • Health Perspectives MDTV
      • Journal Club MDTV
      • Medical Dialogues Show
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
LoginRegister
Medical Dialogues
LoginRegister
  • Home
  • Medical news & Guidelines
    • Anesthesiology
    • Cardiology and CTVS
    • Critical Care
    • Dentistry
    • Dermatology
    • Diabetes and Endocrinology
    • ENT
    • Gastroenterology
    • Medicine
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstretics-Gynaecology
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Orthopaedics
    • Pediatrics-Neonatology
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonology
    • Radiology
    • Surgery
    • Urology
    • Laboratory Medicine
    • Diet
    • Nursing
    • Paramedical
    • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
    • Doctor News
    • Government Policies
    • Hospital & Diagnostics
    • International Health News
    • Medical Organization News
    • Medico Legal News
    • NBE News
    • NMC News
  • Fact Check
    • Bone Health Fact Check
    • Brain Health Fact Check
    • Cancer Related Fact Check
    • Child Care Fact Check
    • Dental and oral health fact check
    • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
    • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
    • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
    • Fitness fact check
    • Gut health fact check
    • Heart health fact check
    • Kidney health fact check
    • Medical education fact check
    • Men's health fact check
    • Respiratory fact check
    • Skin and hair care fact check
    • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
    • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
      • Ayurveda Giuidelines
      • Ayurveda News
    • Homeopathy
      • Homeopathy Guidelines
      • Homeopathy News
    • Siddha
      • Siddha Guidelines
      • Siddha News
    • Unani
      • Unani Guidelines
      • Unani News
    • Yoga
      • Yoga Guidelines
      • Yoga News
  • State News
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chandigarh
    • Chattisgarh
    • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
    • Daman and Diu
    • Delhi
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Haryana
    • Himachal Pradesh
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Jharkhand
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Ladakh
    • Lakshadweep
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Manipur
    • Meghalaya
    • Mizoram
    • Nagaland
    • Odisha
    • Puducherry
    • Punjab
    • Rajasthan
    • Sikkim
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Telangana
    • Tripura
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • Uttrakhand
    • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
    • Ayush Education News
    • Dentistry Education News
    • Medical Admission News
    • Medical Colleges News
    • Medical Courses News
    • Medical Universities News
    • Nursing education News
    • Paramedical Education News
    • Study Abroad
  • Industry
    • Health Investment News
    • Health Startup News
    • Medical Devices News
    • Pharma News
      • CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) News
    • Pharmacy Education News
    • Industry Perspective
  • Home
  • Pulmonology
  • Pulmonology Perspective
  • Doxycycline in...

Doxycycline in COVID-19: Learnings from the Asian Experience

Written By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2020-10-29T10:28:09+05:30  |  Updated On 5 Feb 2021 3:03 PM IST
Doxycycline in COVID-19: Learnings from the Asian Experience
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Email

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) : A World Health Organisation (WHO) declared global pandemic, has infected over millions of people by severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus‐2 (SARS-CoV-2), and billions have become victims of its direct and indirect socioeconomic squeal. While the efforts in the direction of vaccine development are yet to meet success, there are no well- established treatment options available. Early treatment, before the disease becomes severe, would be optimal. (1) Along with this objective, one of the emerging therapeutic candidates, Doxycycline, is a potent antimicrobial with both antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. (2) The pandemic has manifested a diverse spectrum globally and it may be interesting to review the Asian experience with the use of Doxycycline in clinical practice settings for the management of COVID-19 infection.

Doxycycline added as Combination in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Infections

A study was conducted to investigate and compare the clinical outcomes of Doxycycline-Ivermectin versus. Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin combination therapy COVID19 patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection. In a modest clinical setting in Bangladesh, Patients were segmented randomly into two groups: The first group received Ivermectin 200μgm/kg single dose plus Doxycycline 100 mg BID for 10 days, while the second group received Hydroxychloroquine 400mg 1st day, followed by 200mg BID for 9 days plus Azithromycin 500mg daily for 5 days
Doxycycline Treatment across a heterogeneous patient profile
The total number of patients enrolled in the study was 116 - 90 males and 26 females, covering a broad age group ranging from 16 to 80 years, with a mean age of 34 years. The Doxycycline- Ivermectin consisted of 43 males and 17 females, aged 35.72 ± 15.1 years; while the Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin treatment arm formed of 47 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 32 years.
Out of the total, 91 patients were symptomatic, while 25 were asymptomatic patients with a history of contact.
Outcomes after Treatment
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 was repeated in all symptomatic patients, on the second day onward without symptoms, or, for those who were asymptomatic throughout the study, on the 5th day after taking medication and repeated every two days onward if the result is positive. Time to negative PCR and time to full symptomatic recovery was measured for each group
Faster Recovery with Doxycycline Based Combination
All subjects in the Doxycycline- Ivermectin group reached a negative PCR for SARS-CoV-2, at a mean period of 8.93 days, and all reached symptomatic recovery, at a mean duration of 5.93 days, with 55.10% symptom-free by the 5th day. In the Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin group, 96.36% reached a negative PCR at a mean of 9.33 days and were symptom-free at a mean period of 6.99 days.
The Doxycycline- Ivermectin based combination showed a trend toward superiority to the Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin therapy in patients with mild to moderate COVID19 disease.
Summarizing the Asian Experience
Doxycycline is a tetracycline-class of antimicrobial agents, which acts via the inhibition of bacterial ribosomes. It is a well-tolerated bacteriostatic drug which a well-recognized history of clinical use. (3) The efficacy and tolerability of Doxycycline and Ivermectin are established in combination with an earlier study for the treatment of onchocerciasis. (4) Several recent studies have suggested a therapeutic role of Doxycycline against COVID-19. (5)
In yet another published case series on 100 patients with COVID-19 treated with a combination of doxycycline and Ivermectin, concluded the treatment to be very effective in viral clearance in mild and moderately sick COVID-19 patients, with all patients tested negative and their symptoms improved within 72 hours without any noticeable side effects.
Such studies have cited that using doxycycline-based combination therapies within the first few days of being positive with or without symptoms may save the hospital admissions of that 20% who suffer and the unnecessary deaths whilst on ventilators. The community transmission by asymptomatic carriers can be halted by treating these asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients. Importantly, it is a cost-effective option, and seems suitable for use, specifically for low resource Asian settings. (6)

The above article has been published by Medical Dialogues under the MD Brand Connect Initiative. For more details on Doxycycline, click HERE

References
Adapted from
1 Abu Taiub Mohammed Mohiuddin Chowdhury et al, A comparative study on Ivermectin- Doxycycline and Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin therapy on COVID19 patients, DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22193.81767/3
2 Ismail Anwar , Eman Kamal El-dien Anwer & Mohamed AbdAllah (2020) Doxycycline: a new treatment option for COVID-19, Alexandria Journal of Medicine, 56:1, 130-131, DOI: 10.1080/20905068.2020.1790957
3 Holmes, Natasha E., and Patrick G. Charles. "Safety and Efficacy Review of Doxycycline." Clinical Medicine Insights: Therapeutics, vol. 1, 2009, pp. 471-482
4 Abegunde, Ayokunle T., et al. "Doxycycline plus ivermectin versus ivermectin alone for treatment of patients with onchocerciasis." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, no. 1, 2016, p. CD011146.
5 Conforti, Claudio, et al. "Doxycycline, a widely used antibiotic in dermatology with a possible anti‐inflammatory action against IL‐6 in COVID‐19 outbreak."Dermatologic Therapy, 2020, p. e13437
6 M Alam et al, A Case Series of 100 COVID-19 Positive Patients Treated with Combination of Ivermectin and Doxycycline, Journal of Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons 2020;38:10-15

doxycyclinecovid 19world health organisationsars-cov2azithromycincoronavirus diseasedoxycycline in covid#coronavirus
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Show Full Article
Next Story

Editorial

Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer - Dr Aditya Murali

Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer...

Aspirin in Primary Prevention- When to Consider?

Aspirin in Primary Prevention- When to Consider?

Featured image representing medico legal

What's the Role of Expert Opinion in Medical Negligence?

7- Point Discharge Protocol for AECOPD: Time to Inculcate in Practice

7- Point Discharge Protocol for AECOPD: Time to Inculcate in Practice

Aspirin Use in Women Aged 40-50 with Diabetes and Hypertension: Identifying the Ideal Candidates

Aspirin Use in Women Aged 40-50 with Diabetes and Hypertension: Identifying the Ideal Candidates

View All

Journal Club Today

Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer - Dr Aditya Murali

Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer...

View All

Health News Today

Health Bulletin 08/ May/ 2025

Health Bulletin 08/ May/ 2025

View All
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
Powered By: Hocalwire
X
We use cookies for analytics, advertising and to improve our site. You agree to our use of cookies by continuing to use our site. To know more, see our Cookie Policy and Cookie Settings.Ok