Explainer: Why are malaria pills being used against coronavirus?

[snoop1130]

Explainer: Why are malaria pills being used against coronavirus?

By Deena Beasley

 

 

(Reuters) - Older malaria drugs are being studied, and in some cases used, to treat or try to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, even though there is no firm evidence to show they are effective. Studies are underway in a number of countries, including China, France and the United States, to see whether the pills - chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine - may have a role to play in the rapidly spreading pandemic.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has touted the malaria drugs as "a game changer." But the Food and Drug Administration and other health experts said trials must first ensure the medicines are effective and safe for use in this patient population.

 

WHY ARE MALARIA DRUGS UNDER CONSIDERATION?

 

There are currently no vaccines or U.S.-approved treatments for the highly contagious COVID-19 respiratory illness that has killed more than 18,000 worldwide, so even the most severely ill patients largely receive only supportive care such as breathing assistance.

 

On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some U.S. clinicians have reported anecdotal use of hydroxychloroquine at different doses.

 

Chloroquine is a synthetic form of quinine, which is found on the bark of the cinchona plant. It has been used for hundreds of years in South America to treat fever.

 

Chloroquine was first synthesized in the 1930s. A version called hydroxychloroquine, in use since the 1950s, is considered to be less toxic, according to studies. Both drugs can cause serious side effects, including vision loss, heart problems or even death, if used incorrectly.

 

The drugs are used to combat malaria, which is caused by a parasite spread through mosquito bites, because they interrupt its ability to digest a host's blood cells.

 

Scientists have detailed biochemical proprieties of chloroquine that indicate it could be used against some viral infections. These include direct antiviral effects, such as blocking steps needed by certain viruses to replicate, and its ability to suppress production and release of proteins involved in inflammatory complications of several viral diseases.

 

In addition to malaria, hydroxychloroquine is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

 

 

WHAT DOES THE DATA SAY?

 

Data has begun to emerge from some coronavirus trials, but most information so far is preliminary.

 

A French team last week said initial results from a 24-patient trial of hydroxychloroquine showed that 25% of patients given the drug still carried the coronavirus after six days, compared with 90% of patients given a placebo. But the trial is small and results on patient outcomes are still awaited.

 

Chinese researchers last month reported trial results showing that chloroquine treatment of COVID-19 patients had clinical and virologic benefit versus a comparison group. It has been added as a recommended treatment for the illness in China, where the virus first emerged in December.

 

This week, the Journal of Zhejiang University reported disappointing results from a 30-patient Shanghai study of hydroxychloroquine. It showed the drug worked no better than standard care for patients with COVID-19.

 

The University of Minnesota has launched a 1,500-person trial to see whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent or reduce the severity of COVID-19 in people exposed to the virus - including healthcare workers and family members of infected people.

 

Other trials of the malaria drugs are ongoing or set to start in the United Kingdom, Norway and Thailand.

 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state is the epicentre of the U.S. outbreak with more than 25,000 cases, on Sunday said it had acquired hundreds of thousands of doses of the malaria drugs to use in a clinical trial.

 

IS THERE ENOUGH TO GO AROUND?

 

In the United States, prescriptions for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have already spiked and are in short supply, according to pharmacists.

 

Several makers of the generic medicines said they are increasing production of chloroquine pills. Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd, Mylan NV and Bayer AG have donated large quantities of the drugs to health authorities.

 

PRESCRIPTION ONLY!

 

Health officials caution that no one should be taking these drugs to treat or prevent coronavirus infection without medical supervision and a prescription.

 

In Arizona, a man died and his wife was hospitalized after taking a nonmedical form of chloroquine used to fight parasites in aquariums.

 

"Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so,” said Dr. Daniel Brooks, medical director of the poison and drug information centre at Arizona-based Banner Health.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-25

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Lacessit]

Self-medicating is desperation.

[Chazar]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Self-medicating is desperation.

or stupidity

Edited March 25, 2020 by Chazar

[Orton Rd]

8 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Self-medicating is desperation.

You might get desperate if you can't breath and the Hospital has no ventilators, or even any of these drugs. I will be taking it if desperate. Why let other people take responsibility for your health especially in a third world country, I'll look after myself rather than some dubiously knowledgeable Thai in a white coat.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Orton Rd

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

You might get desperate if you can't breath and the Hospital has no ventilators, or even any of these drugs. I will be taking it if desperate. Why let other people take responsibility for your health especially in a third world country, I'll look after myself rather than some dubiously knowledgeable Thai in a white coat.

Hope you have remembered to hang yourself upside down when your lungs are filling up with fluid.

[Orton Rd]

Not really a topic for weak humour is it

[Chazar]

6 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

You might get desperate if you can't breath and the Hospital has no ventilators, or even any of these drugs. I will be taking it if desperate. Why let other people take responsibility for your health especially in a third world country, I'll look after myself rather than some dubiously knowledgeable Thai in a white coat.

get  some  insanity  tablets  to  add  to  it......may  as  well  go  the  whole  hog

[Chazar]

1 minute ago, Orton Rd said:

Not really a topic for weak humour is it

at  times  like  this  any  humour  is  better

[riclag]

Got somethin better, suggestions! In the mean time!!!!!

"A recent controlled clinical study conducted by Didier Raoult M.D/Ph.D, et. al in France has shown that 100% patients that received a combination of HCQ and Azithromycin tested negative and were virologically cured within 6 days of treatment".

https://www.covidtrial.io/

[Chomper Higgot]

7 minutes ago, riclag said:

Got somethin better, suggestions! In the mean time!!!!!

"A recent controlled clinical study conducted by Didier Raoult M.D/Ph.D, et. al in France has shown that 100% patients that received a combination of HCQ and Azithromycin tested negative and were virologically cured within 6 days of treatment".

https://www.covidtrial.io/

100% success in a medical trial. 

 

Absolutely incredible*.

 

* In the fullest sense of the word incredible.

 

Oh and look:

 

The Domain Name 'Covidtrial.io' was registered 9 days ago and there are no details at all of who the registrant is recorded in its whois records. 

 

I'll call it Riclag. 

 

You are spreading hogwash from unknown origins here on TVF. 

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Chomper Higgot

[riclag]

40 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

"Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so,” said Dr. Daniel Brooks, medical director of the poison and drug information centre at Arizona-based Banner Health.

According to reports thousands of people die each year because they error on medicine

Edited March 25, 2020 by riclag

[riclag]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

100% success in a medical trial. 

 

Absolutely incredible*.

 

* In the fullest sense of the word incredible.

 

At this point, I think I can speak for many,  could care less of what looking at the glass half empty think!  Best to Consult your DR.

It shows promise,other wise Cumo wouldn't of asked for it!

Edited March 25, 2020 by riclag

[Orton Rd]

6 minutes ago, Chazar said:

get  some  insanity  tablets  to  add  to  it......may  as  well  go  the  whole  hog

what is insane about taking vit D3 and zinc, plenty of evidence for that and only today NY Hospital claims injecting patients with 1500 mg of vit C showed improvements. It's all very well to sneer at people but you would be trying to find out what you could do to help a family member if they had it and the hospitals turned them away, ignorance is bliss maybe.

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, riclag said:

At this point, I think I can speak for many,  could care less of what looking at the glass half empty think!  Best to Consult your DR.

It shows promise,other wise Cumo wouldn't of asked for it!

It is clear you are speaking for somebody, spreading their hogwash here on TVF.

 

The website you have linked in 9 days old, there is no data at all on who owns that website. 

 

You are spreading dangerous rumours and you don't even know who fed them to you.

 

[Orton Rd]

5 minutes ago, riclag said:

According to reports thousands of people die because they error on medicine

They also die because they don't take any, chloroquinine is safe at the right dosage, it has been around for 70 years after all. It just has a narrow margin for overdose and you have to reduce it by weight, under 50 kilos half the dose. Lots of people die from paracetamol, you just have to follow the recommended doses, and make sure it aint fish tank cleaner first

[anterian]

If you are in Thailand you could try the traditional cure (not prevention) for this family of viruses, Fah-Talai-Jone. 

[riclag]

21 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It is clear you are speaking for somebody, spreading their hogwash here on TVF.

 

The website you have linked in 9 days old, there is no data at all on who owns that website. 

 

You are spreading dangerous rumours and you don't even know who fed them to you.

 

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-
label non-randomized clinical trial

 

 Congratulations ,your on my  ignore list! I can't deal with negative half empty glass opinions,especially when many people are on life support ,looking for anything !

https://drive.google.com/file/d/186Bel9RqfsmEx55FDum4xY_IlWSHnGbj/view

 

The credits of participants from several countries and research facilities , who were part of the research is a good indication of its trustworthiness in a effort to treat this. I am in no way urging people to try this ,consult your DR,Cumo has!

  

Edited March 25, 2020 by riclag

[sandrabbit]

Chloroquinine is better than taking Malerone but not by much, they are meant to be preventative medicines not treatments as side effects can be bad in large doses. When I was working long term in India I stopped taking chloroquin as the side effects are not nice and we all stopped taking malerone in Tanzania as the side effects are dreadful. I don't think it's a wonder drug but then I'm electrical not a microbiologist.

 

ps i remember trying to get chloroquin here in Thailand a few years ago to go on a job and being told it wasn't available.

Edited March 25, 2020 by sandrabbit

[riclag]

5 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

Chloroquinine is better than taking Malerone but not by much, they are meant to be preventative medicines not treatments as side effects can be bad in large doses. When I was working long term in India I stopped taking chloroquin as the side effects are not nice and we all stopped taking malerone in Tanzania as the side effects are dreadful. I don't think it's a wonder drug but then I'm electrical not a microbiologist.

 

ps i remember trying to get chloroquin here in Thailand a few years ago to go on a job and being told it wasn't available.

From what I have been following its used in a combination,with azithromycin

Edited March 25, 2020 by riclag

[007 RED]

36 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

You might get desperate if you can't breath and the Hospital has no ventilators, or even any of these drugs. I will be taking it if desperate. Why let other people take responsibility for your health especially in a third world country, I'll look after myself rather than some dubiously knowledgeable Thai in a white coat.

Personally, I will stick with the time tested and trusted cure all Thai Seng Oil.  Guaranteed to fix all ailments as indicated on the bottle.

[sandrabbit]

5 minutes ago, riclag said:

From what I have been following its used in a combination,with azithromycin

I can't be bothered to check but I think chloroquin doesn't work in S America or sub Saharan Africa as malarial preventative anymore due to a build up of resistance to it, would this affect covid use?

Edited March 25, 2020 by sandrabbit
punctuation

[riclag]

3 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

I can't be bothered to check but I think chloroquin doesn't work in S America or sub Saharan Africa as malarial preventative anymore due to a build up of resistance to it, would this affect covid use?

Oh really!  C and malarial prevention have built up a resistance. I'm no DR. rabbit. Fact, Cumo at the epicenter wants to give the combo a try

[sandrabbit]

11 minutes ago, riclag said:

Oh really!  C and malarial prevention have built up a resistance. I'm no DR. rabbit. Fact, Cumo at the epicenter wants to give the combo a try

yes, you get issued with differing prescriptions for anti malarial preventatives for different parts of the world. try the WHO website for advice on this, it's very good or if you are from the UK try the NHS website they have all the info. I'm just going by what I was issued with by companies when I worked worldwide.I only mentioned malaria, I just questioned if it would affect covid treatment.

Edited March 25, 2020 by sandrabbit

[riclag]

8 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

yes, you get issued with differing prescriptions for anti malarial preventatives for different parts of the world. try the WHO website for advice on this, it's very good or if you are from the UK try the NHS website they have all the info. I'm just going by what I was issued with by companies when I worked worldwide.I only mentioned malaria, I just questioned if it would affect covid treatment.

sounds good! 

[Chomper Higgot]

39 minutes ago, riclag said:

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-
label non-randomized clinical trial

 

 Congratulations ,your on my  ignore list! I can't deal with negative half empty glass opinions,especially when many people are on life support ,looking for anything !

https://drive.google.com/file/d/186Bel9RqfsmEx55FDum4xY_IlWSHnGbj/view

 

The credits of participants from several countries and research facilities , who were part of the research is a good indication of its trustworthiness in a effort to treat this. I am in no way urging people to try this ,consult your DR,Cumo has!

  

Getting put on your ignore list for challenging you over your posts on medical matters linked to unverifiable websites, I can live with that.

[rabas]

56 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

They also die because they don't take any, chloroquinine is safe at the right dosage, it has been around for 70 years after all. It just has a narrow margin for overdose and you have to reduce it by weight, under 50 kilos half the dose. Lots of people die from paracetamol, you just have to follow the recommended doses, and make sure it aint fish tank cleaner first

 

220 million people are treated for malaria every year, not including millions more who take chloroquine etc for prophylactic protection against the various forms of malaria. For decades. Billions of patients.  One of the most widely used and beneficial drugs of all time. I know several people who have taken it.  Only the MSM could possibly make it out to be an evil killer drug. Incredible.

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by rabas

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 minutes ago, riclag said:

Sad isn't it Cumo and Trump want to give people hope!

 

I'd have more confidence in your comments if you hadn't just misspelled the governor of New York's name on 3+ consecutive posts in this thread....

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, rabas said:

 

 Only the MSM could possibly make it out to be an evil killer drug.

 

The issue is whether it has an beneficial uses for treating or preventing the coronavirus... And on that point, the evidence is very slim and uncertain at best. Hopefully, some of the now beginning trials in the U.S. will clarify that issue over time.

 

[bristolboy]

59 minutes ago, riclag said:

Got somethin better, suggestions! In the mean time!!!!!

"A recent controlled clinical study conducted by Didier Raoult M.D/Ph.D, et. al in France has shown that 100% patients that received a combination of HCQ and Azithromycin tested negative and were virologically cured within 6 days of treatment".

https://www.covidtrial.io/

Malaria Drug Chloroquine No Better Than Regular Coronavirus Care, Study Finds

 

Hydroxychloroquine, a medicine for malaria that President Donald Trump has touted as a treatment for coronavirus, was no more effective than conventional care, a small study found.

The report published by the Journal of Zhejiang University in China showed that patients who got the medicine didn’t fight off the new coronavirus more often than those who did not get the medicine.

The study involved just 30 patients. Of the 15 patients given the malaria drug, 13 tested negative for the coronavirus after a week of treatment.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-25/hydroxychloroquine-no-better-than-regular-covid-19-care-in-study

Now in this study the hydrochlorquinone wasn't given in conjunction with azithromycin. But still, the original French study which has given so much hope to some, was actually very sketchy.

Here's one analysis of the study itself. Skip down to where the study itself is exhaustively looked at:

The study: Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/are-hydroxychloroquine-and-azithromycin-an-effective-treatment-for-covid-19/

 

Also, in the nydailynews.com there was an article with about an existing drug, Tocilizumab, that may be effective. The article included info about a physician who was being treated with azithromycin and hydrochloroquinone. He said he kept on getting worse. Then he was switched this drug and said he felt like it put him on the path to recovery. Not a scientific evaluation, of course.

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-fda-approves-trial-for-drug-to-treat-coronavirus-20200323-cuwac5zw7vguddbj6nhoexuw3a-story.html

 

 

[sandrabbit]

4 minutes ago, rabas said:

 

220 million people are treated for malaria every year, not including millions more who take chloroquine etc for prophylactic protection against the various forms of malaria. For decades. Billions of patients.  One of the most widely used and beneficial drugs of all time. I know several people who have taken it.  Only the MSM could possibly make it out to be an evil killer drug. Incredible.

 

I took chloroquin for seven months the first time I worked in India but didn't realise the side effects till the second time I worked there when I thought the risk of having malaria was lower than taking it. The other thing is so many people are taking it and have been taking it that it's effectiveness in Asia is being reduced as malaria is becoming more resistant to it, people are taking stronger drugs like malerone. The same thing has happened in Thailand with using deet (a poison) in mosquito sprays as apparently mosquitos in parts of NW Thailand have become resistant to it.