New Delhi: Countries around the world are exploring the potential of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients. However, several experts have said it is not a ‘wonder drug’ and may even be fatal in some cases.
Frantic efforts are underway to develop a vaccine againt COVID-19. Doctors all over are trying and control the spread of the disease for which there is yet no cure. In such a situation, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), has emerged as a prime focus area of treatment.
This reliance on HCQ must immediately stop, the experts said. They added that there is no scientific evidence to prove that it is beneficial in treating COVID-19.
“It is only on anecdotal evidence that doctors are using HCQ along with other antiviral medication to treat COVID-19 patients. There is no definite treatment available yet,” said MC Misra. He is the former director of AIIMS in Delhi and one of India’s top surgeons.
“However, there have been reports of some patients developing cardiac arrhythmias due to hydroxychloroquine. This can cause sudden cardiac death,” Misra added.
Yudhyavir Singh, a core member of AIIMS’ COVID-19 team deployed at the hospital’s trauma centre, agreed.
““Globally, some deaths have been reported due to the administration of HCQ alone and along with azithromycin as well. HCQ blocks the potassium channel and potentially prolongs the QTc (heartbeat). This causes sudden cardiac arrest death and various arrhythmias. This has also been documented in prominent studies,” explained Singh.
The assistant professor of anaesthesia at AIIMS said there are contradictory reports on HCQ usage for treating COVID-19.
Several countries, including the US, have started relying heavily on HCQ. The drug however, is majorly used in the treatment of malaria and rheumatoid-arthritis. India has become the biggest supplier of the drug and has fulfilled large orders from the US, UAE and UK.
US President Donald Trump has touted the anti-malaria drug as a definite cure for COVID-19. So his administration has stockpiled millions of doses of HCQ. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety communication about the known side effects of the drug. Yet still it is being stored.
In India too, HCQ is being used by many hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients. There is no scientific proof of its benefit for the disease. “We are using HCQ among other drugs but ignoring its extreme hazardous side effects,” Misra said.
In the first week of April a doctor in Assam was put on a high dose of HCQ after he showed COVID-19 symptoms. However he died of a cardiac arrest, Misra said.
The doctor also cited a research from France as an example. One half of COVID-19 patients was administered hydroxychloroquine while the other half was not. Misra said the recovery and outcomes of the two groups were same.
COVID-19, which broke out first in China’s Hubei province, has caused havoc across the world. It has claimed the lives of more than 2.5 lakh people and infected over 36 lakh.
Ashraf Ganie, a professor of endocrinology described as brazen the manner in which HCQ was being projected to treat coronavirus. “HCQ can have serious cardiac side effects and cannot be used without prior evaluation,” Ganie asserted.
Rajesh Kumar, a doctor of Internal Medicine at Gurgaon’s Paras Hospital, said HCQ can also cause hypoglycemia in diabetes patients.
PTI