NECA-KSID publish COVID-19 clinical treatment guideline

Conditionally recommending remdesivir and not recommending hydroxychloroquine

Constantly reviewing literature regarding COVID-19 treatment, plans to update guideline monthly

The South Korean clinical experts issued advices each on anti-COVID-19 antiviral drug (remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir and favipiravir), steroid, interleukin inhibitor, interferon, convalescent plasma therapy and general intravenous immunoglobulin.

 

For antibody treatments with social issues, such as Rekirona, the experts are currently reviewing literature, and planning to update the guideline every month.

 

National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) and Korean Society of Infectious Diseases (KSID) co-published a latest RWE-based clinical treatment guideline for treating COVID-19 patients with the said details.

 

An Ebola treatment remdesivir is conditionally allowed (recommended grade B) to be used in patients who require oxygen therapy but do not need a ventilator or extracorporeal membrane oxygen therapy (ECMO) treatment.

 

Also, hydroxychloroquine, a well-known treatment for malaria, was not recommended either alone or in combination (recommended grade C).

 

Meanwhile, the experts highly recommended using steroid for patients with moderate to severe symptoms (recommended grade A).

 

The global clinical scene was in confusion due to uncertainty in COVID-19 treatments, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has informed of some drugs having no efficacy and advised to suspend some drug use.

 

The reviewed literatures used for the clinical guideline in South Korea were from latest worldwide publications (June through December 2020) related to COVID-19.

 

The level of the ultimately selected evidence was categorized by four levels—high, moderate, low and very low—using the evaluation and recommendation GRADE methodology, and the experts deliberated on issuing advice of highly recommended (A), conditionally recommended (B), not recommended (C) or decision deferred (I).

 

The guideline contains advices on using antiviral drug, steroid and 19 key anti-COVID-19 treatments depending on the state of a patient.

 

Taking in account that COVID-19 related research evidences are presented fast around the world, NECA has started researching with KSID to promptly develop the clinical treatment guideline.

 

The two organizations plan to expand the research scope to develop a guideline covering from COVID-19 screening to treatment (both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatment) based on the severity of patient symptoms.

 

Principal investigator of the research, Professor Yeom Joon Sup at Severance Hospital said, “The clinical scene has shown high demand for evidence-based clinical treatment guideline on treating pneumonia and other long-term infectious disease.

 

This research would set credible standards in minimizing the confusion on site and providing the best treatment for patients.” Clinical Evidence Research Team Lead Choi Mi-young at NECA commented, “As the world is actively conducting COVID-19 related clinical research and publishing related literature every day, we need to confirm and update the guideline with the latest findings.

 

NECA would continue to research with the healthcare providers from multidisciplinary approach to overcome the COVID-19.”