Hydroxychloroquine – The never-ending experiments, examinations and medical prescriptions takes it toil as the medical scientists and practitioners search for the potential cure for coronavirus. Moreover, numerous other antiviral agents, immunotherapies, and vaccines continue to be studied and examined as potential therapies. The nations are pushing through collaborative efforts to discover and evaluate the effectiveness of antivirals, immunotherapies, monocional antibodies and vaccines that are on the league. Medical journals, guidelines and reviews of the potential vaccine for coronavirus have been published.
The world undergoes turmoil in searching for effective therapies for COVID-19 infection. The potential COVID-19 treatments will undergo extensive examinations for medical use and efficacy is not easily or quickly grasp in layman’s language.
The World Health Organization has roared emergent actions “megatrial” which is called SOLIDARITY in which confirmed cases of COVID-19 is randomized that studies one of four active treatment arms. Hence, hydroxychloroquine is the leading drug that was believed to be the potential vaccine for coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a decade old drug that is used to prevent and treat malaria since the malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. On 1955, hydroxychloroquine was approved and typically preferred over chloroquine due to its fewer side effects. HCQ treats rheumatic disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and porphyria cutanea tarda and certain infections such as Q fever and certain types of malaria. It is frequently commercialized as sulfate salt known as Hydroxychloroquine sulfate. 200 mg of the sulfate salt is equal to 155 mg of the base. Brand names of Hydroxychloroquine include Plaquenil, Hydroquin, Axemal (in India), Quinoric, Dolquine and Quensyl.
In recent studies, these medications worked by interfering the chemical environment of human cell membranes that blocks the virus from entering and multiplying inside the cells.
On March 17, the AIFA Scientific Technical Commission of the Italian Medicines Agency has approved favorable remarks on studying the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment. While in United States, counted state pharmacy boards reported that most of the doctors were expressing prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, to treat themselves, family and medical staff.
On March 28, an Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) was released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that approves hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products that was generously donated to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to be distributed and used for certain people who are admitted with COVID-19.
Consequently, a man died while his wife was in a critical condition for a reason of ingesting fish bowl cleaner that contains chloroquine phosphate. The couple hoped and believed that the chemical cleaner could help them in preventing the coronavirus. The chloroquine phosphate in the fish bowl cleaners has not the same chemical formulation found in the medicines.
On May 18 – President Trump confirms that he is taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventive action on coronavirus combined with Mineral Zinc despite findings have shown indicating that is “linked to higher rates of death in admitted COVID-19 patients”.
Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug touted by the President is not the cure that the world is waiting according to the new study that was published last Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. Consequently, 1, 376 patients were admitted at emergency room with symptoms of coronavirus.
The findings of the study didn’t appear to help nor harm from the decade-malaria drug. The new findings were released after the Food and Drug Administration warned the people against hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus. And true enough, there is no sufficient medical data at this time to prove hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine does treat and prevent COVID-19 – while some small studies that suggest the aforementioned drugs could be helpful but other studies saw no benefit.
The New York State Department of Health, in partnership with the University of Albany, is conducting an observational study of the effectiveness of the potential vaccine. They are tracking down the medical records of COVID-19 patients who have been discharged.
Still, the medical specialists are still seeking for other potential drugs that can kill the coronavirus. There are no FDA-approved treatments for COVID-19 and health officials hypothetically declared that vaccine will be produced 12 to 18 months at the earliest.