BoilerUP

You're right, Orange Man saw it on FNC and ran with it publicly; actual observations from off-label use on patients and lab experiments on the virus in China and South Korea and France didn't inform him one single iota.

People are right to say the French study isn't conclusive since it wasn't a double-blind placebo study with a large cohort of participants (same valid statement about the second, larger cohort French study that showed similar results as the first), and yes Trump recklessly oversold hydroxycholorquine as a "miracle cure"...but "anecdotal" evidence from around the world including here in the USA certainly appears as though it has some efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and in the midst of a novel virus pandemic any treatment is certainly better than no treatment. Much of that "anecdotal" evidence revolves around early treatment to prevent progression to more severe disease, while patients already with severe disease don't respond quite as well.

The large study underway in New York right now should better tell the tale in a month or two as to how effective it actually is, and what circumstances allow it to be most effective for improving patient outcomes.

BoilerUP

Efficacy in mice certainly is promising, but its still a long way (even under accelerated progression to human trials) to being certified as both safe and effective.

KnightFlyer

From the WSJ:

FAA’s Medical Experts Warn of Potential Hazards of Anti-Virus Drugs Touted by Trump

By Andy PasztorU.S. air-safety regulators have emphasized the potentially serious side effects from two medications touted by President Trump as potential treatments for the novel coronavirus.

Pilots generally are barred from taking chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine within 48 hours of a flight. The prohibition against using the pills to ward off Covid-19 was reiterated in recent Federal Aviation Administration guidance and, according to an agency statement Tuesday, both drugs “have long been considered generally incompatible for those performing safety related aviation duties.”

The statement said as with all drugs, the agency takes a conservative approach “when evaluating how a particular substance interacts with aviation professionals” doing their jobs.

Experts have said heart problems and other potentially serious medical conditions can result, or be exacerbated by, taking the medications, historically used to treat malaria, arthritis, lupus and other illnesses. Mr. Trump has presented the drugs as potentially the most effective way to prevent or treat the novel coronavirus.

In its latest guidance to pilots the FAA said there is “no satisfactory scientific evidence that use of these medications decreases the severity of the virus.” U.S. health officials are conducting tests to determine their safety and efficacy.

The news was first reported by CNN.

full of luv

Holy Shietz....so after years of being handed this med in the military as a malaria prophylactic, NOW we are told that it has SERIOUS side effects?

I have no idea if it actually helps against COVID, but if this is true, then the military should quickly be informed. I remember one crew member resisting the med because of it's possible harsh treatment of the liver, until being bit by mosquitos and the flight doc informing him, "you know what's hard on your liver......malaria."

SaintNick

I took it when I had it. Started the drug within a few hours of preliminary diagnosis and took my symptoms away in less then a week. Now I have a friend in the icu intubated and they started him on it but after 10 days of having cocos-19. You need to start taking it ASAP for it to be most effective.

Web265

They are using it everyday in the hospitals here in the US. I can't understand how this little fact is getting by so many people. It has it's limits but it can be very helpful if given early. People are so focused on #orangemanbad they seem to be missing the forest for the trees with regard to this.

SaintNick

yep.... for all the heart problems you hear, people are taking it for years and years. Taking it for 5 days while fighting a potentially life threatening disease isn’t going to mess with your heart. They need to start giving it right away. A lot of doctors where actually buying it up for them and their families so they would have the drug if they caught the disease.

deltabound

Tamiflu for the regular flu is the same way. You either take it in the first 48 hours or it’s essentially worthless.

Point being: there’s precedence for other meds and their effectiveness is based on how fast they’re taken.

Id take HCL in a second; I’d even take it as a prophylactic while flying if I could get any. That stuff is handed out like candy in Africa. Side effects well known.

fishforfun

Which is being argued why the cases are so few in Africa and other nations that regularly take HCL.

Chief Brody

I think this pretty much sums up the argument here -

https://babylonbee.com/news/liberal-...rump-is-stupid