Posted on 04/10/2020 10:54:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The drug doesn't come without a certain set of risks, and no one knows if it can effectively treat COVID-19.
The president and some of his close advisors — desperate for a COVID-19 cure — are asking “What do you have to lose?” by taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a strong medication never adequately tested for efficacy or safety in COVID-19 patients. The correct answer to the president’s question, which he doesn’t seem to want to hear, is that we have our lives to lose.
The president acknowledges “I’m not a doctor” but this raises the question “What do doctors know about the drug recommended by the president?" Most doctors are aware that HCQ can be effective for patients with malaria, arthritis or lupus. If they were to follow the president’s suggestion and prescribe it for COVID-19 patients, they would also like to know that it will benefit some of those patients, at least.
This drug hasn't proven to be successful in treating viral illnesses
What is known? HCQ has been tested previously in several viral illnesses but never found effective. Importantly, there is no evidence whatsoever that HCQ can prevent COVID-19, and there is only anecdotal evidence that it improves the course of the disease. The reports that it can reduce the measurable levels of the virus in patients are seriously flawed, lack a valid control group and were released to the public with little, if any, scientific review. Proper clinical trials with HCQ are underway, but these will take months. In summary, doctors do not know if HCQ or any other drug now being tested is effective or will have any medical benefit.
Without any assurance of benefit, what do you have to lose? Most doctors rely on the FDA-approved label to evaluate the “risk” side of the benefit/risk equation for each presciption. The drug label for HCQ, and its close relative Chloroquine, are very clear about their risks and both contain a page and a half of stark warnings that include the possibility of blindness due to retinal injury, loss of consciousness due to low blood sugar, suicidal behavior, heart failure, potentially lethal interactions with other drugs, lethal heart rhythm disturbances and yes, death. When doctors prescribe HCQ, they expect that the risk of these potentially tragic side effects will be outweighed by some benefit.
Doctors are also trained to use their medical skills to evaluate the patient’s overall condition as part of the risk/benefit equation for a drug and to take appropriate measures to mitigate any risks. They know that some patients are at greater risk of developing side effects than others. Unfortunately, the patients at greatest risk for most of HCQ’s serious side effects are the same as the very sickest COVID-19 patients, e.g. those on respirators with low blood oxygen levels and with disturbances in body chemistry.
Continuous ECG monitoring is one of the methods used to prevent potentially lethal cardiac effects of HCQ and chloroquine. In many ICUs, computerized decision support systems monitor the patient’s electronic chart and send advisories to physicians when a drug’s risk exceeds safe thresholds. However, these surveillance tools are not generally available outside of the hospital and could not protect those who might try to prevent COVID-19 by taking HCQ.
Special exceptions are made for emergencies
Pandemics and other public health tragedies alter the usual norms and requirements of medical practice. When a life is in danger, physicians may decide to prescribe an unproven drug and monitor the patient for any potentially serious side effects. To enable such use, the FDA has “approved” the careful use of HCQ under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). It should be emphasized that the FDA did not approve HCQ as either safe or effective to treat or prevent COVID-19. Recognizing the unique situation doctors are facing, the FDA’s emergency authorization is for the “unapproved use of hydroxychloroquine” supplied from the nation’s stockpile but only for hospitalized adults and adolescents “for whom a clinical trial is not available, or participation is not feasible”.
The FDA’s EUA Fact Sheet should be carefully read by anyone contemplating prescribing or taking HCQ. Also, the public should know that the FDA is working hard to correct a problem at some public websites that post drug labels. Labels for 15 of the 49 products containing HCQ are out of date and do not contain the warnings found in the currently approved HCQ label or in the FDA’s Fact sheet.
In this crisis, our political leaders are grasping at straws and encouraging hope. When faced with a national medical crisis such as a pandemic, I encourage our leaders to defer to the medical and scientific experts who have the knowledge, skills and training to save lives and to not encourage unnecessary or unfounded risks with our lives and our safety.
Dr. Raymond L. Woosley is a professor of medicine at The University of Arizona, College of Medicine-Phoenix. He is the president of the Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics.
I’m still waiting for the double blind studies that demonstrate social distancing works.
Is this drug anything like the quinine treatments Vietnam vets used to have to take? I recall my deceased husband mentioning getting a "quinine pill" and I think he might have also mentioned "quinine water" for Malaria treatment.
Zpak protocol is also known to have bad heart affects.
yea no bias there
When doctors prescribe, they look at the contraindications. In other words, if somebody had end stage renal failure, they wouldn’t prescribe it (but that person would die anyway).
For people without certain problems, there appears to be no risk, since a similar dosage has been in widespread use for years against a different disease (malaria) and people haven’t been collapsing in the streets from it.
Excellent comment, my good FRiend.
Yes, an antidotal story or two doesn't mean much. But thousands of such reports from around the world without any bad side effects begins to mean much.
We don't have time for the well designed, double blind tests that will take us into next year. You fight a war with the army you have. Quantity has a quality all of its own.
As Barr said the presstitutes have gone Jihad on this drug just because Trump recommended doctors try t it!!!!
Thanks. I can't remember who I stole it from.
Trump pills bad.
Bingo
Post 3
“Plus you’ll be helping PDJT make a bunch of money from his HCQS factories.”
That’s a blatant, cold blooded, malicious lie.
What do you have to lose, strapping yourself into a car and driving 70 mph on the freeway? Potentially your life.
But we still do it. There’s a reason.
People have died from aspirin or penicillin reactions etc. The issue seems to be that they really really want to vaccinate everyone.
What is wrong with these idiots. Ignoring Doctors talking about how well it works just to make Trump look bad.
Do not pass go, go directly to hell!
For a COVID-19 patient who is getting worse, the probability of an adverse reaction from HCQ is much less than the probability of dying from the virus.
This is a direct attack on Trump. ASPIRIN can be dangerous to some people! I hope the people who attack him can’t get this drug when needed.
Not the same. Quinine was used as a anti malaria drug but that gave way to Chloroquine. Many of us who have spent time in various parts of the world have taken it, myself included.
It has nothing to do with bacteria.
It is simply making a channel open up for zinc to pass through cell membranes to stop RNA replication of the virus.
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