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Hydroxochloroquine vs. Covid-19: The facts
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Hydroxochloroquine vs. Covid-19: The facts It is time that the facts about hydroxocholoroquine as a drug battle the Corona Virus are made clear. The President has been touting it frequently, twice in yesterday's new conference alone, and the talking heads of Fox News, never known for any degree of scientific expertise, have been banging the drum for it regularly. Here is the reality: There just isn't any evidence it actually works. There has been anecdotal evidence from China and Europe that it might have some benefit. But the number of cases where positive results have been shown can be counted on one hand with a couple of fingers to spare. A few studies, also with small numbers of trial subjects, show no benefit whatsoever. So are there any other lines of evidence pointing to its effectiveness? Two have been offered. First, hydroxocholoroquine is frequently used as an anti-malarial drug. Since the incidence of malaria highest in Africa, the drug is used there more often than anyplace else on the planet. Africa has had a very low incidence of Covid-19 to d therefore, some proponents of the drug are jumping a causal conclusion. But it isn't very impressive reasoning. First of , the low incidence of Covid-19 in Africa so far could be linked low testing capabilities, combined with the fact that most of Africa has been in their summer season while this outbreak has been sweeping through the northern hemisphere. During summer months, you are generally exposed greater concentrations of ultra-violet radiation from the sun, and UV tends degenerate most viruses, so that alone could account for the lower incidence, which has been common in the southern hemisphere. But cases throughout the southern hemisphere now seem be accelerating. No study has been done compare rates of infection between those who have been treated with the anti-malarial drug in Africa versus those who have not. Consequently, there is simply no way correlate the effectiveness of the drug based a generally lower rate of incidence. There are too many other factors that have to be considered. Another line of reasoning is that cases of Covid-19 in Lupus patients seem to be lower than the general population. Hydroxochloroquine is also used in Lupus patients sometimes. But again, there have been no studies comparing rates of infections among Lupus patients who have used the drug to those who have not. That might be an interesting avenue of research, but, again, other factors could be at . It is awfully difficult correlate the effectiveness of a drug in a specific population without systematic research involving large tests groups and appropriate control groups. It might simply be that patients with Lupus are taking more care avoid exposure than the population in general. Hydroxochloroquine is beneficial for certain conditions, but it remains be seen whether or not it has any role in the Covid-19 battle beyond a placebo effect. But this is a decidedly dangerous placebo for 2 reasons. First, it has some rather nasty side effects and can be extremely dangerous taken in inappropriate doses. Second, the promotion of the drug in this case can initiate stock-piling behaviors that can have serious consequences to those who have a specific<b> medical </font></b>need for it. It is never wise to promote the effectiveness of any drug in advance of the research, and while we are anxious for a cure, patience remains a virtue. |
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