Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial agent currently under study as a possible treatment for the Coronavirus disease. Do not use this medicine to treat COVID-19 symptoms unless your doctor recommends you to do so.
What does Hydroxychloroquine usually treat?
Hydroxychloroquine reduces pain, swelling, and joint stiffness associated with medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It may take up to twelve weeks before you notice the results. Doctors may prescribe it with other drugs to treat the underlying symptoms. The medicine is available as pills for oral administration.
As an antimalarial agent, Hydroxychloroquine treats malaria by destroying the parasites responsible for the disease. It is still not understood how the drug works to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus. However, it is believed that the drug affects the immune system, which may be helpful in cases of arthritis and lupus. The dose and duration of treatment depend on the medication’s intended use. For malaria prevention, a patient may usually be prescribed a 400 mg dose once a week for 4 weeks. For rheumatoid arthritis, the dose may range from 200 mg to 400 mg once daily.
Why is Hydroxychloroquine being studied in COVID-19?
According to recent studies, the Hydroxychloroquine 200mg tablet has antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing the Coronavirus disease. The pandemic is currently a dire threat in a way that it’s creating economic destruction across the world.
The expanding pandemic engulfing the world is creating problems for patients with arthritis and lupus worldwide who routinely use the medicine to manage their symptoms. But, over the past few decades, the drug has also attracted the attention of health care experts worldwide as a potential antiviral agent. It has been studied for the severe respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Reports from China suggest that Hydroxychloroquine is showing some levels of efficacy in treating the expanding pandemic. Clinical trials in France also found that medicine was an effective treatment for COVID-19.
According to studies, the anti-malarial agent works by interfering with the chemical environment of human cell membranes. This blocks the virus from entering the cells. Based on these findings, medical experts in hospitals have begun using Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19-positive patients. In the U.S, medical experts have expressed great confidence in the promise of a new COVID-19 treatment. However, there is not enough clinical data at this time to prove that HCQS 200 Tablet relieves COVID-19 symptoms. The medicine has shown effectiveness against the Coronavirus but has failed to translate the success in clinical trials. The drug has largely failed to decrease viral load in mice during clinical trials for COVID-19.
Despite the absence of strong evidence, some people began to self-medicate with the drug, resulting in disastrous consequences. The medicine can cause some serious side effects if the dose is not carefully controlled. At this time, we should understand that the data remains limited. We need more research to identify the risks and benefits of the medicine against the Coronavirus disease.
However, a study in France reported that COVID-19-positive patients who received a dose of 600 mg had lower viral loads. But when comparisons are made across different hospitals, it becomes difficult to determine whether the improvement was due to the Hydroxychloroquine pill or other therapies. And 6 out of 26 patients had to stop the treatment because of worsening disease, nausea, leaving the hospital, or death. Six people in the study also received azithromycin, an antibiotic medication, in combination with Hydroxychloroquine. These patients had even lower viral loads than those who received HCQS 200 alone. It was noted that 93% of people who tested positive for COVID-19 have cleared the virus after 8 days. However, more research is required to determine whether the improvements were due to a combination of medications or other factors.
Information about pandemic treatment is rapidly changing. Once more data is available, the given information will be updated.
