An Effective Treatment for Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Stanford study on Chloroquine)

Public Domain ^ | 3/13/2020 | James Todaro

[Titus-Maximus]

Recent guidelines from South Korea and China report that chloroquine is an effective antiviral therapeutic treatment against Coronavirus Disease 2019. Use of chloroquine (tablets) is showing favorable outcomes in humans infected with Coronavirus including faster time to recovery and shorter hospital stay. US CDC research shows that chloroquine also has strong potential as a prophylactic (preventative) measure against coronavirus in the lab, while we wait for a vaccine to be developed. Chloroquine is an inexpensive, globally available drug that has been in widespread human use since 1945 against malaria, autoimmune and various other conditions. ...

According to their research (reported in Clinical Trials Arena),

“Data from the drug’s [chloroquine] studies showed ‘certain curative effect’ with ‘fairly good efficacy’ … patients treated with chloroquine demonstrated a better drop in fever, improvement of lung CT images, and required a shorter time to recover compared to parallel groups. The percentage of patients with negative viral nucleic acid tests was also higher with the anti-malarial drug… Chloroquine has so far shown no obvious serious adverse reactions in more than 100 participants in the trials… Chloroquine was selected after several screening rounds of thousands of existing drugs. Chloroquine is undergoing further trials in more than ten hospitals in Beijing, Guangdong province and Hunnan province.”[6]

[JohnBovenmyer]

A form of G6PD deficiency is fairly common in african american populations which makes them prone to hemolytic anemia when taking any drug on a lengthy list, including Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine. The deficiency is usually mild in that population and the anemia is somewhat dose related so that population may tolerate modest doses of the listed drugs.

IIRC the problem first showed up when our troops were given chloroquine for malaria prophylaxis. There as a cute M*A*S*H episode where Klinger got it from chloroquine. The southern Mediterranean descent G6PD deficiency form is rarer in US but tends to be more severe. Klinger was really sick, but was being accused of malingering. Hawkeye et all didn't consider the dx because he wasn't black but was always 'crying wolf.' Racist of them! Finally another white guy, without Klinger's track record got the same reaction and all was sorted out.

[GOPmember]

I was never a big fan of that show, even before I was too young to know what Alan Alda's political leanings were. But, interesting to know that G-6-PD deficiency made it into M*A*S*H.

While not terribly common nor necessarily commonly severe, it's definitely possible for patients with G-6-PD deficiency to develop hemolytic anemia simply from drinking tonic water.

My comment about a pandemic of hemolyzing patients was tongue-in-cheek. But, it was in response to the accurate comment that side effects will arise if everyone starts popping handfuls of chloroquinolone for the slightest sniffle or cough.

Throw in a course of Bactrim because "Doc, I need an antibiotic for this" (and maybe a big bowl of fava beans, for good measure), and things might get interesting.

[MHGinTN]

I wonder if a blemd of Orange Gatorade and tonic water would work? I already take a vitamin tablet with zinc (for men over fifty).

[MHGinTN]

Thanks ... four liters of tonic water is more than my kidneys would tolerate!

[MrChips]

But is it readily available?

[JohnBovenmyer]

You were tongue in cheek, but if Trump endorses it, and it works great, the media will certainly focus on whatever few side effects occur as a Trump caused epidemic.

I have one other important, but little known, bit of trivia about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. They have significant drug-drug interaction with cigarette smoking. At least when treating cutaneous lupus, which is where my experience with them is, they work slower and not as well in smokers. And it's not just my take. I first learned this from a lupus researcher who'd first described one of its clinical subtypes. So given the likely high rate of smokers in the Chinese data supporting their usage their data is more impressive.

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[catnipman]

“Look up the possible side effects and contradictions on dam$ near ANY prescription”

i do ... i read the entire FDA prescribing PDF document for every drug i have to take and often refuse to take them and/or request a different drug ... unfortunately, most doctors don’t read or pay attention to this prescribing information and just hand out drugs like they are candy ... the problem is WAY worse when people take multiple drugs, because the issues of interaction increase tremendously ...

“People would take nothing after reading them as the list is almost always scary as he!!”

in many cases, people would be better off NOT to take those drugs because drug-induced disorders are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and U.K.:

https://www.globalresearch.ca/drug-induced-iatrogenic-disorders-the-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-the-us-and-britain/5626283