No benefit from azithromycin in hospitalised patients

A preprint from the RECOVERY trial shows no difference in 28-day mortality or other outcomes.

Welcome to The Medical Republic’s COVID Catch-Up.

It’s the day’s COVID-19 news in one convenient post. Email bianca@biancanogrady.com with any tips, comments or feedback.

16 December

• Azithromycin bombs in RECOVERY trial in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
• US approves first rapid at-home SARS-CoV-2 test kit.
• The latest confirmed COVID-19 infection numbers from around Australia.

• The antibiotic azithromycin – which has also been shown to reduce inflammation – does not appear to offer any benefits to patients hospitalised with COVID-19, according to data from the UK-based RECOVERY trial.
  A non-peer-reviewed paper, published on the preprint server MedRxiv, presents early results from the azithromycin arm of the randomised, controlled, open-label trial conducted in 176 hospitals in the UK.
  The results from 2582 patients randomised to azithromycin and 5182 patients randomised to usual care alone showed no differences in 28-day mortality between the two groups, a similar time to hospital discharge, and similar likelihood of progressing to invasive ventilation. The findings were similar across age, sex, ethnicity and other clinical factors.
• The first rapid at-home test for COVID-19 has been granted emergency use authorisation in the US by the Food and Drug Administration.
  The device, which tests a nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 antigens and delivers a result in 15 minutes to a smartphone, is manufactured by Ellure in the US and in Brisbane.
• Here are the latest confirmed COVID-19 infection numbers from around Australia to 9pm Tuesday:
  National – 28,047 with 908 deaths
  ACT – 117 (0)
  NSW – 4650 (5)
  NT – 66 (2)
  QLD – 1228 (1)
  SA – 563 (0)
  TAS – 234 (0)
  VIC – 20,351 (0)
  WA – 838 (1)