A recent study has suggested that while the addition of ammonium chloride to standard care falls short of significantly reducing mortality in COVID-19, it can lead to shorter time to recovery.
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| Photo: Ammonium Chloride | InStyleHealth |
The quaternary ammonium compounds have shown notable
antiviral effects and may be of use against SARS-CoV-2 infections. Based on the
recent study, a team of experts tested whether adding ammonium chloride to
standard treatment regimen for COVID-19 would improve the result of the
infection.
Research had randomly selected a total of 120 patients
to receive standard care plus either diphenhydramine and ammonium chloride, a 10-ml
oral syrup 3x a day for 7 days or diphenhydramine alone – a 10 ml oral syrup
three times a day for 7 days as placebo. Standard treatment regimen included
concomitant atazanavir, 300 mg taken orally twice a day in hospitalized
patients and methylprednisolone – 1 g/day for 3 days in patients admitted to intensive
care unit (ICU).
Primary result of all-cause mortality within 30 days
of randomization did not significantly differ between two treatment groups.
On the other hand, patients who received ammonium
chloride were more likely to have a shorter recovery time and lower viral burden
compared with those who received the control treatment.
Results of the study promotes the careful addition of
ammonium chloride to standard of care for COVID-19 patients.
Source: Int J Infect Dis
2021;doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.043