Efficacy and Safety of Hydroxychloroquine in the Treatment of Type-2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that requires continuous pharmacological treatment for its management. Due to the complexity of the treatment and increased risk of adverse reactions to the existing treatment, there is a need to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of new medications. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the efficacy and safety of Hydroxychloroquine in people with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: The Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome format was utilised to assess the inclusion criteria of randomized controlled trials. A total of five scientific databases were searched with the designed search terms. All the studies included were assessed for their risk of bias and a meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan. Results: A total of six randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review. The majority of studies included hydroxychloroquine as an add on treatment for the existing treatment regimen. From the study results, it was found that hydroxychloroquine group was equally effective in lowering blood glucose levels when compared with other treatment groups. Also, it was found that there was a significant reduction in the daily insulin requirement in the hydroxychloroquine treatment group. Despite the reduction in lipid profile in hydroxychloroquine group, there was no significant reduction in body weight observed between hydroxychloroquine and non-hydroxychloroquine groups. Lastly, hydroxychloroquine was well tolerated in people living with type 2 diabetes with less severe adverse effects. Conclusion: Overall, hydroxychloroquine group was found to be safe and equally effective in reducing blood glucose levels when compared with other anti-diabetes medications groups.