Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon on the White House coronavirus task force, advocates the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients.
Although the New York Times concedes that many hospitals are using the anti-malarial in the fight against Covid, it continues to harp on President Trump for mentioning the drug on grounds that it hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Carson said in a broadcast interview that though double-blind studies need to be done, in the meantime it makes sense to use the drug to treat Covid.
He said in difficult situations he asks himself four questions: What's the best thing that happens if I use it? What's the worst thing that happens? What's the best thing that happens if I don't use it? What's the worst thing that happens if I don't use it?
He said that if a doctor asks those questions about hydroxychloroquine, he or she would "come out on the right side" of the controversy.
In a related matter, the New York Post reports that America’s major medical society specializing in the treatment of respiratory diseases has endorsed using hydroxychloroquine for seriously ill hospitalized coronavirus patients.
The American Thoracic Society issued guidelines Monday that suggest COVID-19 patients with pneumonia get doses of the anti-malaria drug.
“To prescribe hydroxychloroquine (or chloroquine) to hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia if all of the following apply: a) shared decision-making is possible, b) data can be collected for interim comparisons of patients who received hydroxychloroquine (or chloroquine) versus those who did not, c) the illness is sufficiently severe to warrant investigational therapy, and d) the drug is not in short supply,” the Thoracic Society said.
President Trump has promoted its use on an experimental basis and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has agreed to provide it to thousands of seriously ill patients in New York hospitals in combination with Zithromax.
Critics have criticized the promotion of using the drug based on limited or anecdotal evidence.
The Thoracic Society said its guidelines are based on input from an international task force comprised of doctors from medical centers that are currently treating Covid patients.
The medical group said evidence about the impact of hydroxychloroquine is “contradictory” but it is worth experimenting with during a public health crisis to treat very sick patients.
“We believe that in urgent situations like a pandemic, we can learn while treating by collecting real-world data,” said Dr. Kevin Wilson, chief of guidelines and documents at the American Thoracic Society.
“There are in vitro studies that suggest that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have activity against SARS-CoV-2019, the virus that causes COVID-19,” Wilson said.
But he also said several controlled trials from China and France “all have serious flaws and inconsistent findings. … Thus, the bottom line is, whether hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine confer benefits to patients with COVID-19 are unanswered questions.”
Like Trump, Cuomo said Monday giving sick Covid patients doses of hydroxychloroquine is a worthy experiment to try to save lives.
“There has been anecdotal evidence that it is promising, that’s why we’re going ahead, doctors have to prescribe it. There are some people who have pre-existing conditions where it doesn’t work, or they’re taking medication that’s not consistent with this treatment, but anecdotally it’s been positive,” the governor said during a press briefing in Albany.
He said studies will ultimately determine the drug’s efficacy.
A top doctor with the city’s public hospital system agreed.
“We have multiple types of treatments, studies under way to see what’s working best. Many of our patients are receiving Hydroxychloroquine as part of those treatment regimens,” said Dr. Eric Wei, vice president and chief quality officer for NYC Health+Hospitals.
“I think it’s still too early to tell,” Wei said when asked of the results from use of the anti-malaria drug on coronavirus patients. “We’re still looking at the data, but right now we’re willing to try just about anything to save patients”
In Los Angeles, KABC reports that a city doctor said he is seeing significant success in prescribing the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc to treat patients with severe symptoms of Covid-19.
Dr. Anthony Cardillo said he has seen very promising results when prescribing hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc for the most severely-ill Covid-19 patients.
"Every patient I've prescribed it to has been very, very ill and within 8 to 12 hours, they were basically symptom-free," Cardillo told Eyewitness News. "So clinically I am seeing a resolution."
Cardillo is the CEO of Mend Urgent Care, which has locations in Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys and Burbank.
He said he has found it only works if combined with zinc. The drug, he said, opens a channel for the zinc to enter the cell and block virus replication.
He added that the drug should not be prescribed for those who are presenting only mild symptoms, as there are concerns about shortages for patients with other conditions who need to take the drug on a regular basis.
"We have to be cautious and mindful that we don't prescribe it for patients who have Covid who are well," Cardillo said. "It should be reserved for people who are really sick, in the hospital or at home very sick, who need that medication. Otherwise we're going to blow through our supply for patients that take it regularly for other disease processes."
Chloroquine, or hydroxychloroquine, has been approved to treat and prevent malaria since 1944. Because the drug is on the market, doctors can use it for off-label purposes.
Salon interviewed a pulmonologist who was in a Covid crash-dive and who snapped out of it after receiving hydroxychloroquine.
https://www.salon.com/2020/04/05/what-it-feels-like-to-survive-covid-19s-dreaded-cytokine-storm/
Jonathan Raskin, a 69-year-old pulmonologist who practices medicine in New York City and who contracted Covid a few weeks ago is recovering. Salon quotes him:
Although the New York Times concedes that many hospitals are using the anti-malarial in the fight against Covid, it continues to harp on President Trump for mentioning the drug on grounds that it hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Carson said in a broadcast interview that though double-blind studies need to be done, in the meantime it makes sense to use the drug to treat Covid.
He said in difficult situations he asks himself four questions: What's the best thing that happens if I use it? What's the worst thing that happens? What's the best thing that happens if I don't use it? What's the worst thing that happens if I don't use it?
He said that if a doctor asks those questions about hydroxychloroquine, he or she would "come out on the right side" of the controversy.
In a related matter, the New York Post reports that America’s major medical society specializing in the treatment of respiratory diseases has endorsed using hydroxychloroquine for seriously ill hospitalized coronavirus patients.
The American Thoracic Society issued guidelines Monday that suggest COVID-19 patients with pneumonia get doses of the anti-malaria drug.
“To prescribe hydroxychloroquine (or chloroquine) to hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia if all of the following apply: a) shared decision-making is possible, b) data can be collected for interim comparisons of patients who received hydroxychloroquine (or chloroquine) versus those who did not, c) the illness is sufficiently severe to warrant investigational therapy, and d) the drug is not in short supply,” the Thoracic Society said.
President Trump has promoted its use on an experimental basis and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has agreed to provide it to thousands of seriously ill patients in New York hospitals in combination with Zithromax.
Critics have criticized the promotion of using the drug based on limited or anecdotal evidence.
The Thoracic Society said its guidelines are based on input from an international task force comprised of doctors from medical centers that are currently treating Covid patients.
The medical group said evidence about the impact of hydroxychloroquine is “contradictory” but it is worth experimenting with during a public health crisis to treat very sick patients.
“We believe that in urgent situations like a pandemic, we can learn while treating by collecting real-world data,” said Dr. Kevin Wilson, chief of guidelines and documents at the American Thoracic Society.
“There are in vitro studies that suggest that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have activity against SARS-CoV-2019, the virus that causes COVID-19,” Wilson said.
But he also said several controlled trials from China and France “all have serious flaws and inconsistent findings. … Thus, the bottom line is, whether hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine confer benefits to patients with COVID-19 are unanswered questions.”
Like Trump, Cuomo said Monday giving sick Covid patients doses of hydroxychloroquine is a worthy experiment to try to save lives.
“There has been anecdotal evidence that it is promising, that’s why we’re going ahead, doctors have to prescribe it. There are some people who have pre-existing conditions where it doesn’t work, or they’re taking medication that’s not consistent with this treatment, but anecdotally it’s been positive,” the governor said during a press briefing in Albany.
He said studies will ultimately determine the drug’s efficacy.
A top doctor with the city’s public hospital system agreed.
“We have multiple types of treatments, studies under way to see what’s working best. Many of our patients are receiving Hydroxychloroquine as part of those treatment regimens,” said Dr. Eric Wei, vice president and chief quality officer for NYC Health+Hospitals.
“I think it’s still too early to tell,” Wei said when asked of the results from use of the anti-malaria drug on coronavirus patients. “We’re still looking at the data, but right now we’re willing to try just about anything to save patients”
In Los Angeles, KABC reports that a city doctor said he is seeing significant success in prescribing the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc to treat patients with severe symptoms of Covid-19.
Dr. Anthony Cardillo said he has seen very promising results when prescribing hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc for the most severely-ill Covid-19 patients.
"Every patient I've prescribed it to has been very, very ill and within 8 to 12 hours, they were basically symptom-free," Cardillo told Eyewitness News. "So clinically I am seeing a resolution."
Cardillo is the CEO of Mend Urgent Care, which has locations in Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys and Burbank.
He said he has found it only works if combined with zinc. The drug, he said, opens a channel for the zinc to enter the cell and block virus replication.
He added that the drug should not be prescribed for those who are presenting only mild symptoms, as there are concerns about shortages for patients with other conditions who need to take the drug on a regular basis.
"We have to be cautious and mindful that we don't prescribe it for patients who have Covid who are well," Cardillo said. "It should be reserved for people who are really sick, in the hospital or at home very sick, who need that medication. Otherwise we're going to blow through our supply for patients that take it regularly for other disease processes."
Chloroquine, or hydroxychloroquine, has been approved to treat and prevent malaria since 1944. Because the drug is on the market, doctors can use it for off-label purposes.
Salon interviewed a pulmonologist who was in a Covid crash-dive and who snapped out of it after receiving hydroxychloroquine.
https://www.salon.com/2020/04/05/what-it-feels-like-to-survive-covid-19s-dreaded-cytokine-storm/
Jonathan Raskin, a 69-year-old pulmonologist who practices medicine in New York City and who contracted Covid a few weeks ago is recovering. Salon quotes him:
My infectious disease consultant arrived and said, "We don't really have well documented therapies that are known to work. It's all speculative as to what to do. Let's try to get you through this without pharmacotherapy." I understood the only clinical data that existed in early March was coming from China and consented. First, I knew better than to try and be my own physician and second, I understood that… what she saying was that they didn't really know what to do.
Three to four days later it turns out that wasn't such a great idea because I crashed again and everyone knew that they had to initiate some therapy. Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine), as well as an IL-6 inhibitor Tocilzumab, to address cytokine storm. Kaletra, an HIV therapy, was also initiated. Fevers abated soon thereafter...
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