Teicoplanin use is associated with rapid clinical improvement in COVID-19 pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Drug repurposing is an important approach to treat COVID-19 pandemic. Among various drugs that were felt efficacious we had to use the ones that were low cost, efficacious and readily available. Antibacterial drug teicoplanin has shown some promise in this regard. This study evaluates the therapeutic benefits of using teicoplanin in COVID-19 pneumonia patients. METHODS: In this case-control study, 39 patients of COVID-19 were included. The controls (n=19) had received azithromycin for seven days while the cases (n=20) received teicoplanin for ten days. The primary outcomes included the limitations on activity due to illness, need for hospitalization, need for supplemental oxygen therapy and/or ventilation by the 14th day of starting treatment. While the secondary outcomes included same parameters recorded on interim basis by the 7th day of starting treatment. RESULTS: A total of 39 patients, including 12 females and 27 males diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in this study, who had received antibacterial drugs azithromycin (n=19) or teicoplanin (n=20) as part of the treatment. The teicoplanin group had a consistently lower prevalence of fever on days 7, 10 and 15 (p <0.001, <0.001 and 0.02 respectively). Despite suffering from a severer form of the disease, the teicoplanin group showed a rapid recovery in terms of cough and shortness of breath. Similarly, they had a significantly better recovery from the loss of smell sensation by day 15 (p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Teicoplanin use is associated with rapid recovery from febrile illness as well as improvement in clinical and biochemical features in moderate-to-severe COVID-19 pneumonia.