President Donald Trump had previously touted a two-drug combination as a potential treatment for the COVID-19. However, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) warned that using the combination might expose coronavirus patients to some serious side effects.
President Donald Trump previously touted a drug combination as a possible treatment for the coronavirus in press briefings and social media posts. “Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine,” Trump tweeted in March, according to Financial Times. “The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully, they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)”
“What do you have to lose?” Trump said a couple of weeks ago. However, the President has been criticized by scientists “for promoting the drugs without conclusive scientific evidence that they work,” Forbes reported. After his comments, there were reported shortages of hydroxychloroquine for patients using the drug as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
However, a panel from the NIH recommended against the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin because they are “associated with QTc prolongation in patients with COVID-19.” According to Forbes, “QTc prolongation is associated with abnormalities in heart rhythm or sudden cardiac death.”
The experts also warned that the drug combination might result in possible toxicities, according to FT, The toxicities could result in further serious side effects, which include poisoning.
The NIH report was done by a panel of health experts that included members of the team led by Anthony Fauci. The report was published on NIH’s website on Tuesday.
The study involved 368 COVID-19 patients at hospitals run by the Veterans Health Administration. Researchers found out that there were more deaths among patients taking a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin compared to patients who were not taking the drug combo.
At a recent news conference, Trump promised to look into the NIH report but he also clarified that he is not aware of the study. “There have been some very good reports and perhaps this one’s not a good report, but we’ll be looking at it,” the President said.