Evaluating the Clinical Failure of Oral Hydroxychloroquine in SARS-CoV-2 Treatment: A Systematic Literature Review Justifying the Potential for Inhaled Delivery

Authors

  • Nur Syamimi Ahmad Zaini Faculty of Dentistry , MARA University of Technology image/svg+xml
  • Khairani Hasuna Jaapar Faculty of Dentistry , MARA University of Technology image/svg+xml
  • Ahmad Fareez Mohd Rawi University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus image/svg+xml
  • Najibah Endut@Abdul Razak Community Medicine Unit, International Medical School , Management and Science University image/svg+xml
  • Sayaka Miura Graduate School of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering , Toyama Prefectural University image/svg+xml
  • Rio Yamagishi Graduate School of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering , Toyama Prefectural University image/svg+xml
  • Mano Ando Graduate School of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering , Toyama Prefectural University image/svg+xml
  • Yuna Hachikubo Graduate School of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering , Toyama Prefectural University image/svg+xml
  • Satoshi Takei Graduate School of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering , Toyama Prefectural University image/svg+xml
  • Mohd Fauzi MH Busra Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (DTERM), Faculty of Medicine , National University of Malaysia image/svg+xml
  • Nur Aliana Hidayah Mohamed Faculty of Dentistry , MARA University of Technology image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/cos.v13i1.10098

Keywords:

hydroxychloroquine, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, oral, inhale

Abstract

A systematic review was conducted to summarize the evidence regarding the administration of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) through oral and inhalation for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection during pandemic. We limit inclusion for studies evaluating the administration of oral or inhalation of HCQ monotherapy on infected person only. Most of the treatments were given via oral delivery and no evidence on HCQ inhalation for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Aside from 400 mg per day is the most common HCQ treatment dosage, majority of the studies highlighted that HCQ does not significantly contribute to reduction of new incident, severity, viral shedding time and mortality when compared with control group. Further study of inhaled HCQ is needed as this route of administration could offer a promising alternative to the current oral dosing regimens, potentially improving the therapeutic outcomes and reducing the risk of toxicity for patients.

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2026-04-30

How to Cite

Ahmad Zaini, N. S., Jaapar, K. H., Mohd Rawi, A. F., Endut@Abdul Razak, N., Miura, S., Yamagishi, R., Ando, M., Hachikubo, Y., Takei, S., MH Busra, M. F., & Mohamed, N. A. H. (2026). Evaluating the Clinical Failure of Oral Hydroxychloroquine in SARS-CoV-2 Treatment: A Systematic Literature Review Justifying the Potential for Inhaled Delivery. Compendium of Oral Science, 13(1), 31-57. https://doi.org/10.24191/cos.v13i1.10098