The new issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology not only recommends using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 but argues that some news outlets have ignored the facts about the drug's effectiveness. The journal argues that hydroxychloroquine should "be widely available and promoted immediately for physicians to prescribe." The journal says that there is evidence that hydroxychloroquine, when used with the antibiotic azithromycin, is an effective treatment if used in the early stages of infection. The most compelling argument, the journal says, is how hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin reduces the rate of mortality.
The journal also addresses the claim that hydroxychloroquine causes cardiac arrhythmia, noting that this side effect is rare and that the drug's effectiveness in reducing mortality far outweighs the risk of this rare side effect.
Here is an article from the Just the News website on this development:
Here's the link to the journal's article itself:
And here's the abstract that the journal provides on the article:
More than 1.6 million Americans have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and >10 times that number carry antibodies to it. High-risk patients presenting with progressing symptomatic disease have only hospitalization treatment with its high mortality. An outpatient treatment that prevents hospitalization is desperately needed. Two candidate medications have been widely discussed: remdesivir, and hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin. Remdesivir has shown mild effectiveness in hospitalized inpatients, but no trials have been registered in outpatients. Hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin has been widely misrepresented in both clinical reports and public media, and outpatient trials results are not expected until September. Early outpatient illness is very different than later hospitalized florid disease and the treatments differ. Evidence about use of hydroxychloroquine alone, or of hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin in inpatients, is irrelevant concerning efficacy of the pair in early high-risk outpatient disease. Five studies, including two controlled clinical trials, have demonstrated significant major outpatient treatment efficacy. Hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin has been used as standard-of-care in more than 300,000 older adults with multicomorbidities, with estimated proportion diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmias attributable to the medications 47/100,000 users, of which estimated mortality is <20%, 9/100,000 users, compared to the 10,000 Americans now dying each week. These medications need to be widely available and promoted immediately for physicians to prescribe.
The journal also addresses the claim that hydroxychloroquine causes cardiac arrhythmia, noting that this side effect is rare and that the drug's effectiveness in reducing mortality far outweighs the risk of this rare side effect.
Here is an article from the Just the News website on this development:
Prestigious medical journal urges outpatient use of hydroxychloroquine regimen for COVID-19
'These medications need to be widely available and promoted immediately for physicians to prescribe,' the American Journal of Epidemiology says.
justthenews.com
Here's the link to the journal's article itself:
Early Outpatient Treatment of Symptomatic, High-Risk COVID-19 Patients That Should Be Ramped Up Immediately as Key to the Pandemic Crisis
Abstract. More than 1.6 million Americans have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and more than 10 times that
academic.oup.com
And here's the abstract that the journal provides on the article:
More than 1.6 million Americans have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and >10 times that number carry antibodies to it. High-risk patients presenting with progressing symptomatic disease have only hospitalization treatment with its high mortality. An outpatient treatment that prevents hospitalization is desperately needed. Two candidate medications have been widely discussed: remdesivir, and hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin. Remdesivir has shown mild effectiveness in hospitalized inpatients, but no trials have been registered in outpatients. Hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin has been widely misrepresented in both clinical reports and public media, and outpatient trials results are not expected until September. Early outpatient illness is very different than later hospitalized florid disease and the treatments differ. Evidence about use of hydroxychloroquine alone, or of hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin in inpatients, is irrelevant concerning efficacy of the pair in early high-risk outpatient disease. Five studies, including two controlled clinical trials, have demonstrated significant major outpatient treatment efficacy. Hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin has been used as standard-of-care in more than 300,000 older adults with multicomorbidities, with estimated proportion diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmias attributable to the medications 47/100,000 users, of which estimated mortality is <20%, 9/100,000 users, compared to the 10,000 Americans now dying each week. These medications need to be widely available and promoted immediately for physicians to prescribe.
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