Investigating COVID-19 Treatments for Children

Michael Neely, MD, MSc, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases

Early reports suggested that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a drug used to prevent malaria and treat children with certain rheumatologic conditions like lupus, may relieve inflammation associated with moderate or severe COVID-19. Michael Neely, MD, MSc, was lead investigator on a study to determine the safety and efficacy of treating children with HCQ However, recent reports have indicated that HCQ may not be a viable treatment for COVID-19. He is currently evaluating other medications that may be effective in the fight against COVID-19. Most notably, he aims to find out how drugs behave (called pharmacokinetics) in children specifically, as medications often affect children differently than adults. His goal is to give doctors information about a drug’s pharmacokinetics, dosing, safety and anti-inflammatory effects so that clinicians have a better understanding about how to best treat children diagnosed with COVID-19.