Drugs Recommended By President Donald Trump For COVID-19 Are Harmful
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public not to use the two drugs that President Donald Trump has identified as possible treatments for the new novel coronavirus.
The FDA said in a statement Friday that the anti-malarial drugs, called hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, should only be used in hospitals or clinical trials, as they can cause death or serious side effects.
Effects such as serious changes in heart rate have been observed in patients with COVID 19, especially when used in combination with antibiotics or other drugs that affect the heart.
According to the statement: "We are aware of an increase in the use of these drugs without a prescription, but we would like to remind medical professionals and patients to be aware of the risks associated with these drugs."
The US president has repeatedly called these drugs effective
Since mid-March, President Donald Trump has referred to the drug about 50 times.
The US president says the drugs are "game changers" against the coronavirus, but there is growing evidence that they do not help patients with COVID 19 but do more harm than good.
The FDA said in a statement that "both of these drugs have not been shown to be effective or safe in treating or preventing COVID 19."
Earlier, the US National Institutes of Health panel warned against the use of these drugs.
The FDA said it was monitoring the serious side effects of coronavirus patients using these drugs.
In mid-March, the US President said that hydroxychloroquine has been around for a long time, so we know that even if it is not effective, it will kill someone.
Read more: Chinese Company Offers Clinical Trial Of COVID 19 Vaccine In Pakistan
But now, in a new statement, the FDA says there have been fatalities in some cases, including abnormal changes in heart rhythm and a rapid increase in heart rate.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement that the agency believes that medical professionals are looking at every possible option to treat their patients, but that the use of these drugs is not without risks.
He said, "Clinical trials are underway to determine the efficacy and safety of these drugs with reference to COVID 19, but their known side effects should also be considered."
The FDA said the risks could be reduced if medical professionals closely monitor patients, and only in a hospital or clinical trial.
Earlier this week, US medical researchers revealed that malaria drugs are not only beneficial for coronavirus patients but are also causing more deaths for patients.
Researchers, funded by the US government, examined the medical records of 368 veterans being treated in US hospitals, who died of the virus by April 11 or were discharged home.
The mortality rate of patients treated with chloroquine was 29%, while the mortality rate of the antibiotic Azithromycin was 22%.
In addition, the mortality rate for those receiving standard care alone was 11%.
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In this regard, it was reported that chloroquine is more likely to be prescribed to patients with more severe disease, but medical experts found that despite an increase in the dose of the drug, the death rate continued to rise.
An earlier study in France found no reduction in mortality or ICU admissions in patients who were given hydroxychloroquine.
Similarly, in separate trials in China and Brazil, both drugs failed to rapidly recover from the coronavirus.
In fact, there were two deaths in Brazil, while some patients developed heart problems, after which the trial was stopped only 13 days later and changed.
In Pakistan, too, the World Health Organization (WHO) is overseeing a study on the treatment of coronavirus, which will look at the effects of antimalarial drugs in the treatment of patients with the virus.
It should be noted that Getz Pharma is the only one in Pakistan approved by WHO.
