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Hydroxychloroquine ineffective as a preventive antiviral against COVID-19: study
Medical Express ^ | 08/18/2020 | by Case Western Reserve University

Posted on 08/18/2020 8:04:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have added to the growing body of understanding about how hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is not a possible defense against COVID-19.

Specifically, they found that HCQ is not effective in preventing COVID-19 in patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), suggesting a broader interpretation of HCQ as ineffective preventive medicine for the general population. Their findings were recently published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Many researchers have focused on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and RA because HCQ is frequently taken by these patients. Anecdotal reports in the early stages of the pandemic showed these patients were not getting COVID-19. Earlier researchers then explored HCQ in the lab and found it effective against the virus, in addition to its already established anti-inflammatory properties, so testing in people for prevention or treatment at first held some promise. Since those early tests, various more recent studies have shown that HCQ is not effective in treating moderate-to-severe hospitalized cases. Treatment with HCQ early in the disease or for mild cases is still under review.

"Our study shows, with a large degree of confidence, that HCQ is ineffective as a preventive antiviral in people with SLE and/or RA taking drugs that suppress their immune system, putting them at greater risk," said Mendel Singer, Ph.D., MPH, lead author and associate professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Population & Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. "Given how the study was structured, one can make an educated extension that it is not effective in preventing COVID-19 in people without those conditions. It is not uncommon for something to show promise in the lab, and then prove ineffective in the more complex biological landscape of humans."

The Case Western Reserve team drew on a large national database, pulling de-identified patient data from 36 health systems, to compile a much larger study than previous work, looking at patients with SLE and/or RA and their health outcomes related to their use of HCQ. Prior studies had fewer than 20 COVID-19 patients with SLE and/or RA; this study had 159. This study showed that patients with SLE and/or RA who contracted COVID-19 were just as likely to be taking HCQ as SLE and/or RA patients who did not get COVID-19.

"By drawing on data from a relatively large patient population with lupus and/or RA, we can offer a higher level of confidence in our findings," said Singer. "We see from this large retrospective review that this drug is ineffective in preventing COVID-19 in these patients who have been taking HCQ. If HCQ were effective in prevention, we would have seen fewer HCQ-taking SLE/RA patients with COVID-19, but did not. This likely means that HCQ is not active against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in humans—versus in the lab—and is unlikely to be an effective preventive antiviral for anyone."


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: antiviral; covid19; hcqtreatment; hydroxychloroquine; politicalmedicine; prophylaxis
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1 posted on 08/18/2020 8:04:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: Mrs. Don-o; tellw; Huskrrrr; Jane Long; Freedom'sWorthIt; Freedom56v2; BDParrish

Ping as per your request


2 posted on 08/18/2020 8:04:53 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

First question — where’s the zinc?


3 posted on 08/18/2020 8:07:20 AM PDT by Nothingburger
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To: SeekAndFind

But didn’t we hear/see some stats from another country where virtually no one taking hcq for lupus or rheumatoid arthritis had gotten covid?


4 posted on 08/18/2020 8:08:38 AM PDT by Pollard (whatever)
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To: SeekAndFind

I think “preventative” is the key word here.


5 posted on 08/18/2020 8:08:49 AM PDT by rdl6989
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To: SeekAndFind

Who would expect hydroxychloroquine to be antiviral? If it has a benefit it would likely be a lessening of the symptoms of the infection.


6 posted on 08/18/2020 8:09:33 AM PDT by Prolixus (In all seriousness:)
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To: SeekAndFind

“ Prior studies had fewer than 20 COVID-19 patients with SLE and/or RA; this study had 159.”

Out of how many patients? How many went on to develop symptoms? How many got better faster?

That’s practically a statistically insignificant number and you can’t make an assumption about the exposure levels of the other (not mentioned) patients who didn’t get it.

TL:DR - it’s a vapid study.


7 posted on 08/18/2020 8:10:16 AM PDT by Skywise
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To: SeekAndFind

Soap ineffective as a preventive anti-dirt agent: study.


8 posted on 08/18/2020 8:10:28 AM PDT by Steely Tom ([Seth Rich] == [the Democrats' John Dean])
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To: Nothingburger
where’s the zinc?

Exactly. Another politically motivated study.

9 posted on 08/18/2020 8:10:49 AM PDT by RatRipper ( Democrats and socialists are vile liars, thieves and murderers - enemies of good and America.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Media: HCQ is not a cure
Correct, it’s a treatment

Media: HCQ is not a preventive
Correct, it’s a treatment

Media: (Huff)...Orange Man Bad!!!


10 posted on 08/18/2020 8:11:05 AM PDT by AppyPappy (How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?)
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To: Nothingburger

Second question is who funds their research its certainly not the mfg of a generic drug


11 posted on 08/18/2020 8:11:21 AM PDT by airedale
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To: rdl6989

Just look at a map of the world for COVID infections. India and Africa make the US look like a slum area. Their low infection rates are attributed to use of HCQ for malaria. This study stinks to high heaven.


12 posted on 08/18/2020 8:13:33 AM PDT by RatRipper ( Democrats and socialists are vile liars, thieves and murderers - enemies of good and America.)
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To: Pollard
But didn’t we hear/see some stats from another country where virtually no one taking hcq for lupus or rheumatoid arthritis had gotten covid?

Italy, I believe.

13 posted on 08/18/2020 8:13:59 AM PDT by kiryandil (Chris Wallace: Because someone has to drive the Clown Car)
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To: AppyPappy

RE: Media: HCQ is not a preventive; Correct, it’s a treatment

Many are using HCQ for PROPHYLAXIS against Covid-19. In fact, Trump did just that for himself — taking HCQ as a preventative.

What Case Western’s study is telling us is — it doesn’t work.


14 posted on 08/18/2020 8:14:57 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: All

So, How much did Bill Gates pay these Case Western ‘Scientists’ for these results?

And they always leave out the zinc. The zinc is the virus killer; the quinine is just the vehicle to get it through the cell walls.


15 posted on 08/18/2020 8:15:33 AM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: SeekAndFind
What part of hydroxychloroquine is not being claimed to be effective as a sole acting drug, but as a part of three interactive components of regimen a which act synergistically to treat COVID19, do they fail to grasp?

Of course people with Systemic Lupus Erethematosis (SLE) or Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) are not taking that cocktail of HCQ, Zinc, and Azithromycin; they are only prescribed Hydroxychloroquine. It stands to reason that a study would show that it would be ineffective, because it lacks the synergistic effect the cocktail has.

These studies seem to be deliberately designed to achieve a desired negative result for political reasons by omitting the required ingredients in the regimen that is specified, and when they do that, the triumphantly crow that it simply doesn’t work! How stupid do they think we are?

16 posted on 08/18/2020 8:17:07 AM PDT by Swordmaker (My pistol self-identifies as an iPad, so you must accept it in gun-free zones, you hoplophobe bigot1)
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To: SeekAndFind; AppyPappy
I'll bet that most, if not all the "researchers" have their own secret "malaria candy" stash of HCQ...

 face with tears of joy face with tears of joy face with tears of joy

17 posted on 08/18/2020 8:18:20 AM PDT by kiryandil (Chris Wallace: Because someone has to drive the Clown Car)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Specifically, they found that HCQ is not effective in preventing COVID-19 in patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

18 posted on 08/18/2020 8:18:57 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Another BS study


19 posted on 08/18/2020 8:19:11 AM PDT by bobrlbob
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To: Skywise
Well, there's this: "Given how the study was structured, one can make an educated extension that it is not effective in preventing COVID-19 in people without those conditions."

In other words they didn't really study HCQ use for COVID, they had a database and they did some statistis and got a result. This is the sort of work that results in 'Coffee linked with high testosterone in construction workers born in August" articles. Oh, they found some correlation at some level using data not controlled for the things they are saying they found.

Here they found 159 people who have Lupus or rheumatoid arthritis and got COVID (just 159!) and half of them were on HCQ. So based on those 80 people we now know that HCQ is bunk. Got it.

20 posted on 08/18/2020 8:20:01 AM PDT by pepsi_junkie (Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
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