Physicians News Health news for doctors and patients.
By Brad Broker
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued a formal warning to consumers that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine — the antimalarial drugs touted by President Trump as a cure-all for COVID-19 — should not be used outside of a hospital setting to treat the novel coronavirus.
“Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19,” said the FDA in its statement. “They are being studied in clinical trials for COVID-19, and we authorized their temporary use during the COVID-19 pandemic for treatment of the virus in hospitalized patients when clinical trials are not available.”
Several studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine has led to higher death rates in patients confirmed with COVID-19.
“Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can cause abnormal heart rhythms such as QT interval prolongation and a dangerously rapid heart rate called ventricular tachycardia,” said the FDA. “Patients who also have other health issues such as heart and kidney disease are likely to be at increased risk of these heart problems when receiving these medicines.”
Patients using hydroxychloroquine for conditions including malaria or autoimmune diseases such as lupus should continue to use the medicine as prescribed.
Physicians should be aware that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine can:
- cause QT prolongation
- increase the risk of QT prolongation in patients with renal insufficiency or failure
- increase insulin levels and insulin action causing increased risk of severe hypoglycemia
- cause hemolysis in patients with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency
- interact with other medicines that cause QT prolongation even after discontinuing the medicines due to their long half-lives of approximately 30-60 days
As for the novel coronavirus, the FDA warns that “there are no proven treatments for COVID-19 and no vaccine.”
It certainly is easy to lose all confidence in professional organizations when one reads Alice in Wonderland conclusions as fact.
The Brazilian study you intimate about was one where the amount of drug 499 mg and 600 mg two and three times what is normally used, plus other departures. No wonder the outcome.
The VA study has already been called a fraud, perhaps even criminal.
The patients didn’t get Zinc a mandatory ingredient in the protocol.
Many of the Veterans were ostensibly in end of life condition with liver disease, cancer, HIVAIDS & other problems.
The crowning jewel was Dr. Scott Sutton one of the Researcher supposedly received a $ 247,000 grant from Gilead Science the maker of Remdesivir.
Hydroxychloroquine protocol is currently used all over the world to successfully save people.
IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY for Big Pharma
Remdesivir cost $110 for 5 mg and in given intravenously. Hydroxychloroquine is $ 20 for a treatment.
NO wonder Big Pharma wants the competitor to disappear. The banks even got in the act. They were telling the mfgs to raised their prices so they can make more money.
Should we call it the Body Traders? I will help you kill 500k people, you give me a $ 1000 mil.
Big Pharma, the NIH and the FDA aren’t even embarrassed or ashamed.
Incidentally Doesn’t Fauci own a number of medical patents and looking for more?
Thank you Cyborg, for pointing out what I was going to, after reading this FDA recommendation. I no longer trust any alphabet organization$. Scrutiny has become my past time.
People need to read everything they can and make their own decisions. And let your doctor know how you feel. It is ultimately the patients choice (at least for now).
I am allergic to the flu vaccine and haven’t had one in 15 years. I suspect I am also allergic to other vaccines as well. I have not had the flu in all that time and have been exposed to a lot of children with it.
As for Covid-19 and the HCQ protocol, we will know the truth in a year or two and many people may be upset over that truth.