RIP Hydroxychloroquine

[jodi]

@George-K Steve was prescribed 2 (200mg) tabs TID the first day, then 1 (200mg) tab TID on days 2 - 5. Were told to go BID if the nausea got too bad (and the nausea got really bad, I think he want to twice a day the last two days)

[Loki]

@George-K said in RIP Hydroxychloroquine:

@Doctor-Phibes said in RIP Hydroxychloroquine:

I must admit my first thought when I read anything on HCQ is 'what's their agenda?', which is pretty sad.

Remember when they said that TRump had a financial stake in pushing HCQ?

NYT. What a bunch of putz’s. I never thought in my lifetime I would say that about them but hey that’s where they are.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Loki said in RIP Hydroxychloroquine:

NYT. What a bunch of putz’s. I never thought in my lifetime I would say that about them but hey that’s where they are.

#metoo (Remember that? What happened to that?)

But hey, Rolling Stone's surprising me. They seem to have some staff and managers still struggling to carry on.

[Jolly]

@Aqua-Letifer said in RIP Hydroxychloroquine:

@Loki said in RIP Hydroxychloroquine:

NYT. What a bunch of putz’s. I never thought in my lifetime I would say that about them but hey that’s where they are.

#metoo (Remember that? What happened to that?)

But hey, Rolling Stone's surprising me. They seem to have some staff and managers still struggling to carry on.

Then, may they succeed.

[George K]

All the studies on HCQ:

https://c19study.com/?fbclid=IwAR0w3T4BvOPw5K_jOCBpDmZGzt4MR317ROpbYcg8oLZg0w7Oc3LXZFLemWk

Delay in treatment delays effectiveness of HCQ.

[Jolly]

Interesting.

As I've said, I would take the cocktail.

[George K]

1. It's not double-blind
2. It's retrospective
3. It's large: 8000-plus patients.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924857920303423?via%3Dihub

Abstract
Background
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been largely used and investigated as therapy of COVID-19 across various settings, at total dose usually ranging from 2400 mg to 9600 mg. In Belgium, off-label use of low-dose HCQ (2400 mg in total over five days) was recommended for hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis of in-hospital mortality in the Belgian national COVID-19 hospital surveillance data. Patients treated either with HCQ alone and supportive care (HCQ group) were compared to patients treated with supportive care only (no-HCQ group) using a competing risks proportional hazards regression with discharge alive as competing risk, adjusted for demographic and clinical features with robust standard errors.

Results
Of 8075 patients with complete discharge data on 24th of May and diagnosed before the 1st of May, 4542 received HCQ in monotherapy and 3533 were in the no-HCQ group. Death was reported in 804/4542 (17.7%) and 957/3533 (27.1%), respectively. In the multivariable analysis, the mortality was lower in the HCQ group compared to the no-HCQ group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.684, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.617–0.758). Compared to the no-HCQ group, mortality in the HCQ group was reduced both in patients diagnosed ≤ 5 days (n=3975) and > 5 days (n=3487) after symptom onset (adjusted HR 0.701, 95% CI 0.617–0.796 and adjusted HR 0.647, 95% CI 0.525–0.797, respectively).

Conclusions
Compared to supportive care only, low-dose HCQ monotherapy was independently associated with lower mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 diagnosed and treated early or later after symptom onset.

It's not clear to me what "supportive care" only means. A ventilator is "supportive" in the sense that it doesn't really cure anything. It allows other therapies to work or allows healing to occur.

[Rainman]

Well, let's make it completely political.

Republicans get to be administered HCQ, democrats do not.

Any takers?

[George K]

Once again, just to be clear, I remain agnostic on the effectiveness of HCQ in treating COVID-19. The fact that there are studies that show its effectiveness under conditions which can be controlled (when given, what other treatments are used) are encouraging.

Or at least eyebrow-raising.

Also, the hysteria over its cardio toxicity, IMO is an example of the politicization of the drug. It's dose-dependent. It's a drug with a decades-long history of safety, given in appropriate doses.

Any drug is a poison - if you take enough of it.

[George K]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/19/french-scientist-who-pushed-unproven-covid-drug-hydroxychloroquine-may-be-forced-from-post?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

The French scientist who promoted the discredited hydroxychloroquine treatment for Covid-19 backed by Donald Trump faces being pushed out of the infectious diseases institute he founded, amid concerns from key members over its role in feeding conspiracy theories and an investigation by regulators into its clinical studies.

Didier Raoult has built a worldwide following throughout the pandemic for his support of the malaria drug despite its failure in randomised control trials. Multiple studies, including by the Recovery trial and the World Health Organisation, have found hydroxychloroquine to be ineffective in treating Covid-19.

University professors must retire at the age of 68 in France. Raoult turned 69 in March, and so from 31 August will no longer be eligible to continue his post as a researcher and medical practitioner at the University of Aix-Marseille and Marseille University Hospitals.

His age does not disqualify him from continuing as director of the Marseille-based infectious diseases institute he founded, IHU Méditerranée Infection, but François Crémieux, the director of Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), one of the founding member institutions of the IHU, told Le Monde it is not reasonable for Raoult to continue there after he ceases to practise medicine and conduct university research.

[George K]