But no more new patients to be given the drug
(Eagle News) – The Department of Health said that it will not accept new patients for hydroxychloroquine following the decision of the World Health Organization (WHO) to discontinue its use for its Solidarity Trial.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that while the Executive Group of the WHO Solidarity trial in the country has decided not to accept new patients, those COVID-19 patients who have already started hydroxychloroquine treatment would finish their treatment.
“Ngunit para sa mga pasyenteng sumasailalim na sa treatment na ito, magapapatuloy po sila hanggang matapos nila ang kanilang treatment,” she said.
Vergeire said that the Executive Group had also decided to study first the evidence from the randomized trial on the hydroxychloroquine treatment before finalizing its view on the efficacy of the anti-malaria drug against COVID-19 or if it has indeed adverse effects.
She said that the Executive Group had met on this on May 23.
-No more new patients for hydroxychloroquine-
“Ang Executive Group ay nagkasundo na anumang panghuling desisyon sa paggamit ng hydroxychloroquine ay dapat ibatay sa masusing pagsusuri mula sa nagaganap na randomized trial,” Vergeire said in the DOH regular virtual presser.
“Subalit dahil matatagalan ang ganitong masusing pagsusuri, napagpasyahan ng WHO na mas mainam na munang itigil ang pag-a-allocate ng mga bagong pasyente sa hydroxochloriquine buhat ng mga adverse effects nito.”
Vergeire said that the group will also do a review of evidence in mid-June on hydroxychloroquine.
In the meantime, the DOH official said that the Philippines will continue to be a part of the WHO Solidarity Trial in trying to find a cure for COVID-19.
The WHO decision to temporarily suspend clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for coronavirus came after a study published in The Lancet medical journal last week that suggested the drug could increase the risk of death among COVID-19 patients.
“The Executive Group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity Trial while the safety data is reviewed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a virtual press conference.
Hydroxychloroquine is normally used to treat arthritis but public figures including US President Donald Trump have backed the drug as a virus treatment, prompting governments to bulk buy.
Trump said last week he was taking the drug as a preventative measure, but in an interview aired on Sunday on Sinclair Broadcasting he said he had completed his course.
“Finished, just finished,” Trump said. “And by the way, I’m still here. To the best of my knowledge, here I am.”
Brazil’s health minister also recommended last week using hydroxychloroquine, as well as the anti-malarial chloroquine, to treat even mild COVID-19 cases.
The Lancet study found that both drugs could produce potentially serious side effects, particularly heart arrhythmia.
And neither drug helped patients hospitalised with COVID-19, according to the study, which looked at the records of 96,000 patients across hundreds of hospitals.
(with a report from Agence France Presse)
