HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE
- SCI & TECH
News:
Hydroxychloroquine: How a
new study links the COVID ‘cure’ to 17,000 deaths
What's
in the news?
●
Researchers have linked hydroxychloroquine
— an antimalarial drug that was
briefly promoted by former US President Donald Trump and others as a “miracle”
medicine for COVID-19 — to an increased mortality rate of up to 11%.
Key
takeaways:
●
The researchers writing in the open access
journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, now say it is possible to link hydroxychloroquine to 17,000 deaths.
●
They warn against repurposing drugs in a
panic.
●
Hydroxychloroquine is generally safe, said
Swaminathan, but “when you give it to a large number of healthy people
preventively, the risk and effects need to be evaluated differently.”
Hydroxychloroquine:
●
Hydroxychloroquine has been used to treat
malaria for several decades.
Usage:
●
It serves to alleviate pain and inflammation.
●
It is typically ingested for a brief time
until the condition is resolved.
●
The drug is also used to treat autoimmune disorders, such as lupus.
●
Its anti-inflammatory
properties have reduced the need for higher doses of other lupus
treatments.
Does
it come with side effects?
●
Most people do not experience side
effects, but it sometimes causes
stomach pain, digestive problems, such as nausea or diarrhoea, dryness of skin
or damage to the eyes after prolonged use.