TY - JOUR T1 - Lessons learnt from hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin in treatment of COVID-19 JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.02002-2021 VL - 59 IS - 1 SP - 2102002 AU - Jiuyang Xu AU - Bin Cao Y1 - 2022/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/59/1/2102002.abstract N2 - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still exerting a great influence on global health and economy. The initial fight against COVID-19 relied mainly on non-pharmacological measures, including social distancing, facial masks, active screening and isolation, etc. In terms of pharmacological interventions, huge progress has been made in the development of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), although the appearance of several mutant variants has raised concerns for lasting immunity. The repurposing of established drugs has been another strategy to search for weapons in treatment or prophylaxis against COVID-19. Although immuno-modulating drugs, including corticosteroids, have been demonstrated to have therapeutic effects, no anti-viral medications have so far been shown to be protective.Solid pre-clinical investigations serve as the basis for clinical research. High quality clinical trials remain the definitive measure to evaluate an interventional therapy. Clinical decisions should be independent from media and political propaganda. https://bit.ly/3iaNBsB ER -