The HCQ dilemma: Backed by world leaders, but not by scientists!
A pharmacy tech puts pills of Hydroxychloroquine in a bottle at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on May 20, 2020. US President Donald Trump announced May 18 he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for almost two weeks as a preventative measure against C
Hydroxychloroquine was touted as the magic-cure for coronavirus until scientists realised it wasn’t producing the results they had anticipated. Many months have passed since it was first used, and scientists still don’t have a definitive answer.
Many supporters, but no proof!
Even though its effectiveness is under question, US President Donald Trump continues to flash it as an effective treatment, recently calling it a “life-saving drug”.
He used a study to corroborate his claims. Undertaken in Michigan, the study involved 2,500 patients who took the drug and had a lower fatality rate.
Regardless, the World Health Organization has halted the trial involving the drug for the second time, claiming it simply does not work.
Additionally, each country has taken a different approach when it comes to the drug. For instance, India has been using the drug, and has also supplied it to over 100 countries.
While the US remains divided, India continues to use it. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t recommend the drug. Regardless, drug prescriptions have skyrocketed in the US, especially between February and March. The jump in sales was almost 80 per cent!
Brazil, too, stands behind the drug. In June, health authorities began recommending it to patients. Around the same time, the country supplied two million doses of HCQ to the United States.Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who recently tested positive for coronavirus has also admitted to taking the drug and its efficacy.
Should one consume it?
Despite the voices of support for the drug, the science still remains inconclusive. There are more than 200 trials underway around the world, just to figure out if HCQ works or not. Naturally, scientists need more time to come up with a definitive answer.
Two pertinent questions in this research are: Can the drug treat active patients? And whether the drug can be taken as a preventive measure against the virus.
HCQ has also gained prominence because of its cheap pricing. A strip of 15 tablets costs around 100 INR, roughly over $1.
Even though countries have stockpiled the drug, it hasn’t shown impressive results in the trials, which were derailed earlier this year.
A study published in The Lancet claimed that the drug increased complications and chances of death, along with heart problems. The study was later withdrawn.