A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Hydroxychloroquine in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease and multiple factors were contributing towards its complication [1]. Only with lifestyle interventions or medication therapy with a single agent, adequate glycemic control may not be possible. American Diabetes Association [2] and other guidelines [3] recommend combination therapy when glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) goal <7% is not achieved or maintained over a 3 to 6 month period. Hydroxychloroquine inhibits insulin degrading enzyme by changing pH of cellular media and therefore may partially increase intercellular insulin availability. Considering the multifaceted effects of hydroxychloroquine, it could slow down the progression from the pre-diabetes stage to diabetes and can also improve the cardiovascular risk profile in diabetes patients with its favourable actions on blood glucose, lipid profile and antithrombotic properties, making it an attractive add on therapeutic choice for the treatment of T2DM patients. There are few randomised trial as well as few observational study indicate that Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) 400 mg helps to achieve target glycemic parameter as add on in inadequately control type 2 diabetes patients(T2DM). For example, a 24-week trial in 267 patients demonstrated significant reductions in HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) with hydroxychloroquine 400mg as compare to pioglitazone 15mg [4]. The change from baseline in HbA1c at 24 weeks was similar between the 2 treatment groups. Research Article Global Journal of Endocrinological Metabolism C CRIMSON PUBLISHERS Wings to the Research