Hydroxychloroquine has been a “game-changer” in the fight against COVID-19 and several countries, including India, approving it for emergencies, pharmacies are reporting a surge in demand for the drug yet to be proven as a cure against the disease.
What is hydroxychloroquine?
Hydroxychloroquine is a prescription drug. It comes as an oral tablet.
Hydroxychloroquine is available as the brand-name drug Plaquenil. It’s also available in a generic version. Generic drugs usually cost less than the brand-name version. In some cases, they may not be available in every strength or form as the brand-name drug.
Hydroxychloroquine may be used as part of combination therapy. That means you may need to take it with other drugs.
What do hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine usually treat?
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine were first used to prevent or treat malaria. Both are available as pills that are taken by mouth. Hydroxychloroquine is also approved for long-term use in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The dosage varies depending on what the medications are being used for. On the low end, hydroxychloroquine is taken as 400 mg orally once a week for malaria prevention and should be continued for 4 weeks after leaving an endemic area. On the high end, hydroxychloroquine is taken as 200 mg to 400 mg daily for rheumatoid arthritis.
Can hydroxychloroquine protect you from catching the virus?
There is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine can prevent coronavirus infection. However, researchers at the University of Minnesota are testing the drug in people who live with coronavirus patients to see whether it can protect them.
Is there any danger in taking hydroxychloroquine?
Like every drug, it can have side effects. It is not safe for people who have abnormalities in their heart rhythms, eye problems involving the retina, or liver or kidney disease. Other possible side effects include nausea, diarrhea, mood changes, and skin rashes.
But it is not known whether hydroxychloroquine is safe for severely ill COVID-19 patients, who may have organ damage from the virus.
So never take it without a doctor’s recommendation.
What researchers say about Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19?
Researchers from Intermountain Healthcare and the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City have also launched a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.
The first trial will enroll 300 patients hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. They will be given either hydroxychloroquine or azithromycin to determine whether either drug affects the severity of COVID-19. In the second set of trials, 2,000 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who are being treated as outpatients will be given hydroxychloroquine or azithromycin to determine if either drug can prevent hospitalization. The trials will also determine whether hydroxychloroquine impacts viral shedding and prevents infection of household contacts as compared to placebo.
Thus far, study results for hydroxychloroquine have been inconclusive. For example, results from the first controlled study of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 showed no significant difference in outcomes between those who received the drug and those who received standard care. The study, led by a team at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in China, involved 30 patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 between February 6 and February 25. Half the patients were randomly assigned to receive 400 mg of hydroxychloroquine per day for 5 days in addition to standard care, while the other patients in the control group received just standard care. There was no placebo. The researchers concluded that disease progression was statistically similar, although there was evidence of a reduction in viral load.
On the contrary, initial results from a placebo-controlled trial of hydroxychloroquine at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, China indicate that patients hospitalized with mild COVID-19 recovered more quickly with the addition of the drug than with placebo at the start of standard treatment. In this trial, 62 patients at the hospital were randomized to receive either a placebo or 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine twice daily for five days, in addition to standard care for both groups. According to the results, the 31 patients given hydroxychloroquine reported a normal body temperature and cessation of cough much quicker when compared with the 31 patients given the placebo. A larger proportion of patients on hydroxychloroquine also demonstrated an improved chest CT, with 61% showing “significant improvement.”
Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always discuss possible side effects with a healthcare provider who knows your medical history. Also never take any medicine without consulting a doctor.
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