System for administering and monitoring hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis for COVID-19 in accordance with a national advisory: Preliminary experience of a tertiary care institute in India.

Background Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was one of the earliest drugs to be recommended for tackling the COVID-19 threat leading to its widespread usage across the world. We provide preliminary findings of the system, established in a tertiary care academic centre for the administration of HCQ prophylaxis to healthcare workers (HCW) based on Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) advisory. Methods A dedicated clinical pharmacology and internal medicine team screened for contraindications, administered informed consent, maintained compliance and monitored for adverse events. Results Among the 194 HCWs screened for ruling out contraindications for prophylaxis, 9 were excluded and 185 were initiated on HCQ. A total of 55 adverse events were seen in 38 (20.5%) HCWs out of which 70.9%, 29.1 % were mild and moderate & none were severe. Before the completion of therapy, a total of 23 participants discontinued. Change in QTc interval on day 2 was 5 (IQR: -3.75, 11) ms and the end of week 1 was 15 ms (IQR: 2, 18). Out of the 5 HCW who turned positive for COVID-19, 2 were on HCQ. Conclusion HCQ prophylaxis was found to be safe and well tolerated in HCW when administered after appropriate screening and with monitoring for adverse events.