WHO ‘strongly’ against hydroxychloroquine use for COVID-19 prevention

 

• Laboratory-based studies and non-randomized preliminary studies in humans initially led researchers and public health officials to support the use of hydroxychloroquine as a potential preventive treatment for COVID-19.
• However, as researchers gathered more evidence, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eventually revoked their emergency use authorization for treating COVID-19. Now, based on the findings of a new analysis, an international panel of experts strongly advises against the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19.
• These recommendations could help reduce the risk of experiencing adverse side effects from taking hydroxychloroquine unnecessarily.
• The guidelines could also help encourage the exploration of other therapies with more promising results.

Research is currently underway to determine whether it is possible to repurpose existing medications to prevent or treat COVID-19.

To guide healthcare professionals through this ever-evolving wave of new evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) is creating a ‘living’ guideline outlining the most complete, accurate, up-to-date information on COVID-19 management.

This guideline also offers patients the chance to consider their best treatment options. The WHO have called it a ‘living’ guideline because they will continuously update it to reflect new knowledge.

To create this living guideline, experts, doctors, patients, and methodologists from around the world are assessing existing studies to produce a set of universal recommendations.

On March 1, 2020, the panel released the first installment of the living WHO guideline on drugs to prevent COVID-19 in the British Medical Journal.

In this first installment, the panel evaluates whether hydroxychloroquine can help prevent COVID-19.

These findings could focus research efforts on more effective, safer treatment and prevention options for COVID-19. It could also discourage doctors and patients from using a medication that is likely to do more harm than good.

Source: Medical News Today