And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. The agenda is rather modest, though, since we may spend part of the time dreaming about the day when we can resume close encounters of the previous kind. For now, we plan to hang with the short person, pretend that we are training the official mascot, and take a few naps. And what about you? This is a good time to check your supply of masks or, perhaps, plan your grocery shopping. You could binge-watch something on the telly or reach out, so to speak, to older folks who are cooped up. Well, whatever you do, chin up. Keep on the sunny side and stay safe. See you soon. …
A study found that hydroxychloroquine, a decades-old malaria drug touted by President Trump, did not appear to help hospitalized patients with Covid-19, CNBC says. The observational study looked at 1,376 consecutive patients who arrived at the emergency room with symptoms of coronavirus. Nearly 60%, or 811 of the patients, received the drug within 48 hours and were found, on average, to be more severely ill than those not given the drug. The findings did not find any potential benefit or harm from the drug.
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Ed,
If the STAT Team has not seen it, please get a copy of the Raymond James analysis of the NEJM Paper on HCQ. Spoiler Alert: If death becomes the only endpoint, not the more curious combined endpoint they used (death/intubation), the study may indeed be positive for HCQ. In the accompanying editorial the author states that HCQ is not a panacea for C-19. Neither is Remdesivir, or most types of chemotherapy for cancer. Panacea is not a reasonable or customary standard of efficacy. Regardless, we now have multiple large studies that seem to show using HCQ is safe. This study did not show any SAEs directly related to the drug. The MN Trial, which will read out shortly, has gone through three safety checks with not a single drug related event. The efficacy of HCQ is a very legitimate question that needs to be answered, however the safety issues have been way overblown by the media. Used in a 5 day pulse, under the supervision of an MD, this is a safe drug.