IDSA issues rapid guidelines for treatment of COVID-19

(HealthDay)—In rapid guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), recommendations are presented for the treatment and management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Adarsh Bhimraj, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues developed evidence-based rapid guidelines to support patients, clinicians, and other health care professionals in the treatment and management of COVID-19. A multidisciplinary guideline panel of infectious disease clinicians, pharmacists, and methodologists with varied areas of expertise was formed by the IDSA.

The guideline panel agreed on seven treatment recommendations. The recommendations include hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine in the context of a clinical trial for patients who have been admitted to the hospital with COVID-19; hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine plus azithromycin is recommended only in the context of a clinical trial. The combination of lopinavir/ritonavir is recommended only in the context of a clinical trial for patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. The panel suggests against use of corticosteroids for patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia; for those admitted with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19, corticosteroids are recommended in the context of a clinical trial. Tocilizumab is recommended only in the context of a clinical trial, and convalescent plasma is recommended in the context of a clinical trial among those admitted with COVID-19.

"The panel expressed the overarching goal that patients be recruited into ongoing trials, which would provide much needed evidence on the efficacy and safety of various therapies for COVID-19," the authors write in the abstract for the guideline.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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