NIH Panel Opposes Hydroxychloroquine With Z-Pak to Treat COVID-19
Doctors and experts on a panel created by the National Institutes of Health are recommending against using hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, with azithromycin, an antibiotic known as Z-Pak, in the treatment of COVID-19.
The panel released its recommendations on Tuesday, including recommending against the combination, which is being used by a number of doctors in the United States and elsewhere.
The panel said it was recommending against the combination “because of the potential for toxicities.”
The panel cited a single study, which has not been peer reviewed, for their recommendation.
Researchers from the New York University School of Medicine retrospectively studied the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in 84 adult patients and reported an increased QTc, or an interval measured on an electrocardiogram that can signal a higher risk of having heart incidents.
The panel also recommended against the use of lopinavir and ritonavir, as well as other drugs that block protease, an HIV enzyme, “because of unfavorable pharmacodynamics and negative clinical trial data.”
There are no approved treatments for COVID-19 but researchers around the world are racing to figure out which ones work against the new disease, which is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Hydroxychloroquine is one of the most promising existing or experimental drugs, along with remdesivir.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel said that insufficient clinical data is currently available to recommend either for or against the use of hydroxychloroquine, the closely related chloroquine, or remdesivir. If the drugs are used, clinicians are advised to monitor the patient for adverse effects.
Insufficient data led the panel to say it couldn’t recommend for or against the use of convalescent plasma, which involves taking blood from people who were infected with COVID-19 and later recovered and transfusing it to patients with the new illness. The panel also couldn’t recommend for or against using hyperimmune globulin, which are concentrated preparations high in antibodies that protect against specific diseases, or interleukin inhibitors, targeted antibody therapies used to treat a range of conditions such as sarilumab, tocilizumab, and anakinra.
Similar to the recommendations against the combination including hydroxychloroquine, the experts recommended against the use of proteins released by cells known as interferons or drugs that temper overactive immune systems known as janus kinase inhibitors—the former because of a lack of effectiveness in other coronaviruses and the latter “because of their broad immunosuppressive effect.”
The panel was co-chaired by Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of the Infectious Disease Division at Weill Medical Hospital of Cornell University in New York City, Dr. H. Clifford Lane, clinical director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, and Dr. Henry Masur, chief of the Critical Care Medicine Department at the NIH Clinical Center.
Members of the panel were appointed by the co-chairs.
Read more at www.theepochtimes.com
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albert
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there is no mention that zinc was used in the study…can you please clarify if zinc was used or not?…thanks
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John O'Sullivan
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Albert, no zinc and no peer review
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Maltesertoo
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I am Maltese and live in the island of Malta: Population: ~400,000.
We had around 400 infections, 3 persons died, not of the virus really, but more due to their frail state of health prior to being infected. Now new infections have practically disappeared and infected persons are now recovering well. Our fantastic doctors and health carers did a fine job, using Hydroxychloroquine to treat the patients.
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JDHuffman
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Sounds like you have some smart folks on Malta. Any chance you could talk some into moving to US and running for Congress?
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Zoe Phin
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I’m originally from Mahon, Menorca, Spain.
ZERO Deaths!
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Tom Anderson
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Experts again — Often wrong but never in doubt.
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Josh
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Here’s betting that the same NIH will immediately endorse the first vaccine through the gate, irrespective of “how much data” they have on effectiveness or safety.
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Debra
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https://youtu.be/RexUJeWmzSE
As expected the pharmaceutical industry and pimped out specialists are doing their best to debunk this cure. Apparently they have developed a comparable pill for $3000 per pill…does anyone see what’s going on here?
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James DeMeo
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Well, of course, the National Institute of Hell “knows what’s best” for Americans. That’s why they have systematically opposed every kind of inexpensive natural remedy, and promote only the “very best” (deadly) expensive pharmaceuticals. (sarc.) It is merely additional evidence on how the MD-hospital system and pharmaceutical vaccine peddlers have sunk roots into our government institutions and national treasury. Now the Democrat Party is also using this Chi-Com virus hysteria to promote all their other “emergencies”, such as the green new deal, the open-borders policies, and so on. No more masking on That!
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Dannow
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bla bla expert bla, thousands have recovered but bla bla no clinical data, bla bla yeah your alive but clinical data bro bla bla bla BIG PHARMA PAYCHECK MADE ME SAY IT ¯_(ツ)_/¯. …BLA BLA
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