HCQ has 90% chance of helping COVID-19 patients: US doctors' body

A team of US doctors has claimed that hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug termed potential "game-changer" for COVID-19 by President Donald Trump, has improved the survival and recovery odds for about 90 per cent of patients infected with the virus.

In a letter to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) presented a frequently updated table of studies that report results of treating COVID-19 with the chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine drugs.

They presented data on 2,333 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine in China, France, South Korea, Algeria, and the US.

It shows 91.6 per cent of those who got the drug fared better after treatment.

The antiviral properties of these drugs have been studied since 2003. Particularly when combined with zinc, they hinder viral entry into cells and inhibit replication. They may also prevent overreaction by the immune system, which causes the cytokine storm responsible for much of the damage in severe cases, the AAPS explained.

In a letter, the AAPS team urged that doctors should not wait for results of gold standard tests of the drug to start using it for coronavirus patients and should instead base their use of it on reasonable interpretations of limited available data.

Peer-reviewed studies published from January through April 20, this year, provide clear and convincing evidence that hydroxychloroquine may be beneficial in COVID-19, especially when used early, they stated.

AAPS's endorsement of the drug comes after the study from Veterans Health Administration medical centres showed that hydroxychloroquine has no benefit in treating patients with the disease.

Meanwhile, on April 24, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued fresh guidelines, cautioning people against over-the-counter use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for Covid-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to the risk of heart rhythm problems.

The FDA said it is aware of reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients with Covid-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, often in combination with azithromycin and other QT-prolonging medicines.

"We are also aware of the increased use of these medicines through outpatient prescriptions. Therefore, we would like to remind healthcare professionals and patients of the known risks associated with both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine," the agency said in a statement.

–IANS bu/na

( 386 Words)

2020-04-29-20:00:10 (IANS)

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>>8979756

Hydroxychloroquine: Help Is On The Way!

Kevin McCullough

Kevin McCullough

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Posted: Mar 29, 2020 11:10 AM

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Over the past couple of days I’ve lost literal count of how many people have written to me asking about the clinical trials in New York State regarding the use of Hydroxychloroquine.

The trials began last Tuesday.

In this column’s space and much more liberally on my Twitter feed I have attempted to stay up-to-date on the rapidly developing reports of the effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine. I’ve also dedicated a considerable percentage of my radio show over the last two weeks highlighting these developments.

It’s strange that I should need to.

Before the drug was mentioned by President Trump there had been a robust interest in looking at the replicated results from China, India, South Korea and France. Sadly, American medical authorities didn’t really give any credence to the claims until the controlled study in southern France, which returned a one in 10,000 chance that the results were anecdotal or in anyway not possible to replicate repeatedly.

Dr. Fauci dragged his feet even as that study was becoming public. Then the president mentioned it, and all of a sudden it became a political issue.

It should not be.

The willingness by anyone of either political party to weaponize an actual solution or series of solutions to COVID-19 is utterly inhuman.

And as the good news is coming in there is a greater reason for hope!

Here are just a handful of new developments from the last few days and hours.

Dr. Fauci when asked if he would use the Hydroxychloroquine cocktail, answered with resounding affirmation. (Simply because he had asked for better clinical evidence previously did not mean he was unaware of what the data was already showing).

France reversed its previous ban on the drug. When the highly esteemed Dr. Didier Raoult released his first survey’s findings the French medical authorities were resistant. As he released an even larger study, with more patients and improved results from his initial study, the French public health officials had no choice but to give guidance as to its use.

India’s public health guidance granted affirmation for physicians and front line medical workers to begin taking it as a preventative. This use was the very suggestion I recommended as first steps in this column a week ago. Since our own CDC has cited its prophylactic benefits our doctors and front line medical personnel should be taking it now.

Given the increased acceptance here in the states not one, but as many as seven different pharmaceutical companies have agreed to mass produce as much as 250 million doses by mid-April. Given Dr. Raoult’s guidance in both of his studies this would give the globe enough inventory to cure 46,000,000 cases. Presently we have not yet hit one million cases worldwide. Notably Bayer, Novartis and Teva Pharm stepped up, pledging to donate several million doses right out of the chute.

Doctors began prescribing off-label use and in doing so are replicating the clinical results in remarkable fashion. One doctor in Monroe, New York has treated in excess of 700 patients. As of this writing he’s lost zero patients to death, zero to intubation, and only two to hospitalization. Another doctor in New York City has treated in excess of 100 patients with zero deaths.

You can expect to see some clinical findings begin to trickle in on Monday through the end of this coming week.

The clinical results showed the patient going from symptomatic to negative testing on average in 5-6 days. Tuesday will mark one week since the trials began. So watch the “recovery” numbers in New York closely, as there may be a bit of a pop.

The Democrats, the media, and people who despise the president don’t want these trials to succeed. Three Democrat governors have gone so far as to ban the use of the drug cocktail. And one has even threatened action against doctors who prescribe it. Which is an odd juxtaposition for the days we live in. It appears that the President cares more about their constituents in their states than their own governors do.

Bottom line: results will begin to filter back. The global medical focus is back on what the drugs can actually do as opposed to who is promoting them. Use of them in the USA is already demonstrating life-saving results, and it appears there will be no inventory problem in prescribing them due to the generosity (not greed) of “big pharma.”

Check back to my Twitter feed often. I will relay results as fast as they come in. (@KMCRadio)

And pray that this potential cure helps us all as we seek to normalize life again… because we desperately need to!

Be encouraged! Help is on the way!

https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2020/03/29/hydroxychloroquine-help-is-on-the-way-n2565926