Discussion:
Considering the amount of death and the catastrophic consequences in the global economy that this COVID-19 pandemic is leaving behind all over the planet, we think this strategy is worth convenient to at least be tried in controlled clinical trials.
Clarithromycin could change the history of this disease. It could reduce the costs of treatment and the potential adverse effects when combining more than one drug such as with Hydroxychloroquine. Clarithromycin treatment as a single agent could be much more simple, safe and cheaper as giving Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination with Azithromycin as well as other therapeutic options.
Clarithromycin would be immediately available globally and could protect all health workers from COVID-19. It would avoid patients to be sent to Intensive Care Units if used as soon as they start with the first symptoms or even at diagnosis in asymptomatic patients. It would reduce the high mortality rate associated with the disease. It would accelerate the inactivation of the viral load. I would avoid the economic debacle of the world.
If these results would be encouraging, it could then be possible to propose to the governments of the world to quickly implement a “whole-earth-all-persons-treatment-prophylaxis strategy with Clarithromycin as a single agent, to reduce the mortality, and maybe eradicate the virus from our planet. This proposition would keep waiting for the development of vaccines, as they are not available at the moment and need to follow the course of the research phases, especially to completely ensure the safety of humanity.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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