Posted on 03/29/2020 9:06:53 PM PDT by snarkytart
(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
The drugs — which are used to treat malaria and other conditions — have been called game changers by President Donald Trump.
But thus far, there is little scientific evidence that chloroquine, or its closely-related analogue hydroxychloroquine, are effective in treating Covid-19.
What happened? The authorization came in a letter dated Saturday, but the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) acknowledged the FDA’s action in a Sunday news release. The FDA limited the scope of its authorization to drugs supplied from the Strategic National Stockpile. The HHS announced that two pharmaceutical companies — Bayer and a division of Novartis — had donated the drugs to the stockpile.
Do the drugs work? In its statement, HHS said:
“Anecdotal reports suggest that these drugs may offer some benefit in the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. “The safety profile of these drugs has only been studied for FDA approved indications, not COVID-19.”
While there’s limited evidence on the efficacy of chloroquine, or hydroxychloroquine, the FDA said the drugs’ benefits outweighed their risk. In its letter, the FDA encouraged randomized clinical trials that could assess the effectiveness of the drugs. It also noted that the known and potential benefits outweigh the risks.
Who can the drugs be used to treat? The authorization is limited to patients who are currently hospitalized and weigh at least 50kg, or about 110 pounds. Under the emergency use authorization, health care providers must contact their local or state health department to access the drugs.
Proof we really don’t need the FDA and CDC. Get rid of them and save the taxpayers some money.
Prolongation of QT is very rare with these drugs - particularly hydroxychloroquine.
we certainly don’t need what? 2 or 300,000 of them.
No. They certainly didn't do it to themselves. I suspect some deranged Orange man has been manhandling them - shaken bureaucracy syndrome.
Well it would be a start.
They give it to people who travel to Africa as a preventative drug.
That is a scary, scary drug - and nowhere near as effective as hydroxychloroquine.
I'd rather take something that just stops the virus replicase than taking Remdesivir that messes big time with the replicated RNA strand as it's being assembled. Voodoo...
Last week and this week I baked bread made with tonic water with quinine for my family. I thought—why not? If there is any tonic water left on the shelves, it’s time for some Gin and Tonics all around. . .
All of a sudden the idiots at CNN are wannabe scientists. Journalists are NOT SCIENTISTS!
But in an effort to help these struggling journalists become scientists, I suggest they contract Covid-19, then they can do an in depth scientific study of their parents and grandparents dying.
Wait...Trump was right? Again???
lol. i had a sudden vision of an bright orange mahout (with a bad comb-over) with a hitting a stubborn bull elephant with a very big stick.
hut, hut, hut...
Here is the FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine
Therapeutics
On March 28, 2020, FDA issued an EUA to allow hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products donated to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to be distributed and used for certain hospitalized patients with COVID-19. These drugs will be distributed from the SNS to states for doctors to prescribe to adolescent and adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible. The EUA requires that fact sheets that provide important information about using chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate in treating COVID-19 be made available to health care providers and patients, including the known risks and drug interactions. The SNS, managed by ASPR, will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ship donated doses to states.
It would certainly be appropriate to conduct some trials that would establish once and for all whether this drug is effective against Covid-19. I hope some protocols have already been approved by IRBs and that patients are being enrolled.
There isn’t time for the usual death dealing delays of beaurocratic red tape that can take decades or more. This time there are to many lives at stake.
Little scientific evidence....
Lying bastards.
CC
Yes, but remdesivir is still under patent.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
CC
The numbers look about right from what I’ve seen.
I had seen 650,000 tested yesterday.
Same reason we are not all wearing masks - we dont have enough for everybody
These problems caused by hydoxichloroquine are from long term use by RA, Lupus, and malaria patients..... taking it for months/years.
Not likely — at all — with a 5 day course.
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