COVID-19 Prophylactic Effect of Bromhexine Hydrochloride

Area of Science:

• * Virology and infectious disease research.
• * Pharmacological interventions for respiratory viruses.

Background:

• * Preventive strategies for COVID-19 are crucial alongside treatment development.
• * Bromhexine hydrochloride (BRH), a mucolytic, shows potential for inhibiting viral entry via TMPRSS2.
• * BRH may serve as a prophylactic agent against viral infections like COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To evaluate the effectiveness of Bromhexine hydrochloride (BRH) as a prophylactic agent against COVID-19.
• * To assess the impact of BRH on COVID-19 infection rates in a retrospective study.
• * To analyze the influence of vaccination status, prior infection, and duration of use on BRH efficacy.

Main Methods:

• * Retrospective questionnaire-based study involving 125 individuals using BRH prophylactically.
• * Collection of demographic, clinical data, and COVID-19 infection rates before and after BRH initiation.
• * Subgroup analyses based on vaccination, prior infection history, and duration of BRH prophylaxis.

Main Results:

• * Reported COVID-19 infection rates decreased significantly from 62.4% before BRH use to 11.2% after use (p < 0.0001).
• * Reductions in infection rates were significant in both vaccinated (48.1% to 3.7%) and unvaccinated (66.3% to 13.3%) groups.
• * Longer duration of BRH use correlated with lower reinfection rates, decreasing from 33.3% (≤10 days) to 2.6% (≥30 days) (p = 0.003).

Conclusions:

• * BRH prophylaxis demonstrated an association with reduced COVID-19 infection rates.
• * The observed benefits of BRH were independent of vaccination status or prior infection.
• * Extended use of BRH appeared to enhance its prophylactic effect, warranting further investigation in controlled trials.