Top Doctors Join Pennacchio’s Call to Use Hydroxychloroquine to Combat Spread of COVID-19

insidernj.com ^ | 3/23/2020 | insidernj.com

[mmichaels1970]

A recent French peer review study by renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Didier Raoult which was published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents showed promising results in the treatment of COVID-19 with Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).

The French study also showed a significant decrease in “viral shedding,” from patients treated with HCQ. The lower the shedding, the less likelihood that the virus can be communicated to other individuals.

As the medical profession evaluates different treatment options, public health officials should adopt early treatment measures with the existing tools at our disposal. HCQ is an inexpensive, safe drug that has been used in the treatment of malaria for seventy years.

With no vaccine or antiviral in place, HCQ is the lead candidate for early treatment against the COVID-19 virus. This was the conclusion of a recent medical paper written by Dr. Raymond Chang whose affiliations include the Institute of East-West Medicine in New York and the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan.

HCQ has the ability to prevent the virus from entering the cell, as well as to prevent the virus from replicating. HCQ has the unique factor of being able to accumulate high concentrations in the lungs (specifically where it is needed). What is also appealing is the long duration (22 day half-life) of HCQ in the body. These factors make it promising for early treatment if ingested days before the virus is introduced.

Worldwide reaction to the virus has been one of containment through isolation and social distancing. The objective of early treatment is to decrease the time of isolation and social distancing. The longer the isolation the more devastating the effects on our lives. A nationwide program of early treatment with HCQ, along with concurrent isolation may reap exponential benefits. The existing record of HCQ, its promise of efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 and low costs make the risk to benefit ratio well worth the effort.

Federal and State governments should immediately direct public policy towards increasing production, storage and establishing a distribution protocol and regimen for HCQ to ameliorate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This was the conclusion reached by U.S. academic studies in response to French infectious disease specialist Dr. Raoult’s peer review study, saying HCQ has a strong potential as a prophylactic measure against the severity of COVID-19.

We the undersigned agree with New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio that all levels of government should work together to ameliorate the COVID-19 pandemic by developing an early treatment to minimize the effects of the virus and reduce its communicability by decreasing viral shedding with the use of Hydroxychloroquine:

Anika Ackerman MD Urology

Joseph Addeo MD Oncology

Munir Ahmed MD Orthopedics

Niran Al-Agba DO Pediatrics

Frank Alario MD Internal Medicine

Sharon Carswell MD Family Medicine

Kimberly Corba MD Family Medicine

Doug Crane MD Internal Medicine

Madeline Danny DO Family Medicine

Philip DeFina PhD Neuroscientist Clinical Research US ARMY Intel

Anthony Dippolito MD MBA General & Colorectal Surgeon

John Eck MD Family Medicine

Josephine Feingold MD Emergency Medicine

Ken Fisher MD Family Medicine

Chris Garofalo MD Family Medicine

David Gee MD Family Medicine

Helen Gelhot MD General Surgery

Eric Gerwirtz MD Anesthesiology

Yvette Gozzo MD Pulmonology

Karladine Graves DO Family Medicine

Wayne Graves DO Emergency Medicine

Lee Gross MD Family Medicine

Avinash Gupta MD Cardiology

James Halper MD Neuropsychiatry & Internal Medicine

Scott Hardiman MD Otolaryngology

Kris Held MD Ophthalmology

Travis Hendricks MD Infectious Disease

Bindukumar Kansupada MD Cardiology

Cameron Knackstedt DO Family Medicine

Herbert Kunkle, Jr MD Orthopedic Surgery

Steve Kupferburg MD Otolaryngology

Lee Kurisko MD Radiology

Guru Lamba MD Hematology Oncology

Katarina Lindley DO Family Medicine

Jennifer Lorine DO Family Medicine/Neuromuscular Med OMT

Lee Merritt MD General Surgery, US Navy

Winslow Murdoch MD Family Medicine

Katherine Newland MD Emergency Medicine

Lisa Norberg DO Family Medicine

Fred Notarnicola MD Internal Medicine

Sheila Page DO Neuromuscular & Skeletal, AAPS President Texas

Kirit Kumar Pandya MD Urology

Prashant Parikh MD Primary Care

Philip Pattison MD Gastroenterology

Danae Powers MD Anesthesiology

Lee Pressler MD Urology

Samuel Putnam MD Interventional Radiology, US Army Flight Surgeon

Raj Raval MD Physiatrist, Interventional Pain

Luis Rodriguez Jr MD Interventional Radiology

Scott Roethle MD Anesthesiology

Sohayla Rostami DO General Surgery Resident

James Rowsey MD Ophthalmology

Christine Saba PharmD MD Pediatrics

Vinod Sanchetti MD Internal Medicine

Nikki Silverstein MD Ophthalmology

Marilyn Singleton MD JD Anesthesiology

Pat Smith MD Gynecology

Reed Smith MD Internal Medicine

Douglas Spiel MD Interventional Pain Radiology

Joel Strom DDS Dentist

James Thomas MD MBA Interventional Radiology, Naval Flight Surgeon

Teresa Thomas MD Internal Medicine

Josh Umber MD Family Medicine

Kip VanCamp DO Interventional Radiology

Craig Wax DO Family Medicine

Vicki Wooll MD MPH Family Medicine, Epidemiology

Marlene Wust-Smith MD Pediatrics

[mmichaels1970]

but what is the dosage? How long should it be prescribed for?

I'd start here among others that are very similar.

Adult dosing (≥18 years):
600 mg PO BID x2 doses (load), then 200 mg PO TID

Pediatric dosing (<18 years):
10 mg/kg (max: 600 mg/dose) PO BID x2 (load), then 3 mg/kg PO TID (max: 200 mg/dose)

Duration:
5 days
In select patients with extended ventilation or profound immunosuppression duration may be extended

[Blood of Tyrants]

What the media is covering up is the number of RECOVERED cases with little or no lasting effects.

[clyde260]

Point well taken and thank you, it gives the issue better perspective.

[353FMG]

Very impressive endorsement of hydrochloroquine by medical experts.

When can we see te medication on Walmart’s shelves?

It would be embarrassing to have to travel to China to have to purchase it there.

[dfwgator]

They’re all giving us false hope. /s

[mmichaels1970]

Point well taken and thank you, it gives the issue better perspective.

Hey thanks! I know I've been pimping Hydroxychloroquine for several days now and I have absolutely no idea if it is indeed working. That's a big problem I have.

I see stuff from one doc here and another doc there saying it works. I'd love to see what 100 docs are saying and I don't think it's too soon to ask considering an entire national economy is being flushed down the toilet.

I feel like we as citizens have the absolute right to see some sort of compilation of how this "anecdotal" evidence is working in the real world.

[mmichaels1970]

They’re all giving us false hope. /s

Half-lol. The psychological implications of what they're putting us all through are going to be felt for decades....generations.

[Hot Tabasco]

Look at his nose, I think he’s lying.....

[mmichaels1970]

Look at his nose, I think he’s lying.....

Yeah...I give him four Pennacchios.

[hudsonohio]

Agree

[CharlesWayneCT]

I’m really close to being on board with a trial where we give everybody in Rochelle for example one HCQ pill a day for 2 weeks, (normal dosing), and see if the spread stops.

If this stuff can actually slow the spread, in addition to treating, we should be able, within two months, to have enough of a supply to use it as a preventative.

[mmichaels1970]

I’m really close to being on board with a trial where we give everybody in Rochelle for example one HCQ pill a day for 2 weeks, (normal dosing), and see if the spread stops.

Wow! Good luck. I'll pray that your trial is able to go forward, that all participants stay healthy and well, and that it ends up being effective!

[AustinBill]

If this turns out to be the “magic bullet” he’ll have no shortage of accolades. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine will be a foregone conclusion.

[353FMG]

Thanks for the info.

Why don’t you tell us where you got it and if it was by prescription and provide other details?

[WildHighlander57]

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3827460/posts?page=1#1

Ping!!!!

More Drs on board, for the hydroxy and azithro combo.

[353FMG]

If Fauci is really a deep state operative, and people die because of his ill advice, he should be held accountable for murder. We can then see if there is still justice in the land. Why is he so against the use of a possible preventative medication, chloroquine, when it is used elsewhere?

Big question: has it been used in China or Italy?

[Teacher317]

I follow a Facebook page called Pharmacy Week (and I cannot recall why I ever added them LOL), but yesterday, someone posted:

"I work at a 340B pharmacy. We could usually get brand name Plaquenil for $1 for a bottle of 100. We have several patients on it monthly. Now it is $1000 a bottle. So much for contract pricing. Both the brand and generic are on back order from Bergen."

Two quick online searches verify that Planequil is one brand name for hydroxychloroquine, and that a 340B pharmacy is one that is on a government drug discount program. Any pharmacy folks here who can verify this?

[Teacher317]

Any change in the pricing lately?

[wardaddy]

Not for me no

Eleven bucks for 100

[mmichaels1970]

"I work at a 340B pharmacy. We could usually get brand name Plaquenil for $1 for a bottle of 100. We have several patients on it monthly. Now it is $1000 a bottle. So much for contract pricing. Both the brand and generic are on back order from Bergen."

I'm no pharmacist. But with google I pretend to be.

According to drugs.com the cost of Plaquenil is $11.00 per unit or $1100.48 per 100. So their claim of a grand seems about right.

However, if I go to the same reference for hydroxychloroquine, I'm seeing a price of $0.71 per unit.