Real-World Inpatient Use of Medications Repurposed for Coronavirus Disease 2019 in United States Hospitals, March-May 2020

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Sameer S Kadri, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda; Cumhur Y Demirkale, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda; Junfeng Sun, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda; Lindsay Busch, Emory University; Jeffrey R Strich, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda; Ning Rosenthal, Premier Inc., Charlotte; Sarah Warner, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-02-01
• Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America 2020
• License: Creative Commons Universal : Public Domain Dedication
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa616
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: ofaa616
• End Page: ofaa616
• Grant/Funding Information: This work is funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.
• Keywords: trends; Infectious Diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Science & Technology; COVID-19; Immunology; medications; repurposed; Microbiology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

We report off-label use patterns for medications repurposed for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at 318 US hospitals. Inpatient hydroxychloroquine use declined by 80%, whereas corticosteroids and tocilizumab were initiated 2 days earlier in May versus March 2020. Two thirds of ventilated COVID-19 patients were already receiving corticosteroids during March-May 2020, resembling pre-COVID use in mechanically ventilated influenza patients.