Newsbrief: How antimalarial drug can be used to treat Covid-19

by Addison Wright

The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval to a Trump administration plan to distribute millions of doses of antimalarial drugs to hospitals across the country according to The Washington Post.

This antimalarial drug has not been approved by the FDA, however, the Trump administration argues that the risk of trying unproven treatments is worth it to slow the progression of the coronavirus. Though there have only been a few studies to show benefits of the drug hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in relation to the coronavirus, the drug relieves the acute respiratory symptoms that patients of covid-19 experience. 

“The concern really is if we’re talking millions of patients, then this issue of drug-induced sudden cardiac death is absolutely going to rear its ugly head,’’ said Dr. Michael Ackerman, a pediatric cardiologist, and professor at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

(Photo by The Washington Post)

There is also a worry about the uncertainty of the drug being administered, as there are not enough studies and research to its treatment in relation to covid-19. Consultant Lewis Schrager, a physician who was a medical reviewer and clinical branch chief at the FDA from 2002 to 2013 said, “You need a degree of scientific evidence. It’s in the guidance. You can’t just bless it.”

The FDA earlier this month approved a plan to distribute hundreds of thousands of doses of the drugs to hospitals in New York, which has emerged as the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. However, many hospitals and doctors have already been prescribing antimalarial drugs for weeks.

Hello friends, my name is Addison Wright and even though this is a difficult time of adjusting I have been working to give students access to reliable and important information so that they can stay aware during this national pandemic!