A substantial new study has found that the
anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine helped patients survive COVID-19. In fact,
the study from the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan said the drug
"significantly" cut the death rate of patients.
"Treatment with hydroxychloroquine cut the
death rate significantly in sick patients hospitalized with COVID-19 – and
without heart-related side-effects," the health organization reports.
Their analysis of 2,500 COVID-19 patients found the
drug can be effective if patients received it early in their treatment.
"Our analysis shows that using
hydroxychloroquine helped save lives," said neurosurgeon Dr. Steven
Kalkanis, CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group and Senior Vice President and Chief
Academic Officer of Henry Ford Health System. "As doctors
and scientists, we look to the data for insight. And the data here is clear
that there was benefit to using the drug as a treatment for sick, hospitalized
patients."
President Trump had touted the drug early on as a
possible experimental treatment for virus patients, but then studies found
conflicting results about its effectiveness and the news media hammered him on
it. One of the earlier negative studies was later retracted.
Scientists from the Henry Ford Health System explained why
their study was successful.
"The findings have been highly analyzed and peer-reviewed," said Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of Infectious Disease for Henry Ford Health System, who co-authored the study with Henry Ford epidemiologist Dr. Samia Arshad. "We attribute our findings that differ from other studies to early treatment, and part of a combination of interventions that were done in supportive care of patients, including careful cardiac monitoring. Our dosing also differed from other studies not showing a benefit of the drug. And other studies are either not peer-reviewed, have limited numbers of patients, different patient populations or other differences from our patients."
"The findings have been highly analyzed and peer-reviewed," said Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of Infectious Disease for Henry Ford Health System, who co-authored the study with Henry Ford epidemiologist Dr. Samia Arshad. "We attribute our findings that differ from other studies to early treatment, and part of a combination of interventions that were done in supportive care of patients, including careful cardiac monitoring. Our dosing also differed from other studies not showing a benefit of the drug. And other studies are either not peer-reviewed, have limited numbers of patients, different patient populations or other differences from our patients."
British Medical Journal Retracts Study That Undermined
Hydroxychloroquine Efforts
06-04-2020
UPDATE
The British medical journal The Lancet announced Thursday
it has retracted a study that claimed that COVID-19 patients who took
hydroxychloroquine had a higher mortality rate and increased heart problems
compared with those who did not take it, stating that the authors were
"unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their
analysis."
Axios reports
the study which claimed to have data from 96,000 patients on six continents,
led several governments to ban the use of the anti-malarial drug for
coronavirus patients due to safety concerns.
The Lancet issued the following retraction:
"Today, three of the authors of the paper,
'Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of
COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis', have retracted their study. They
were unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their
analysis. As a result, they have concluded that they 'can no longer vouch for
the veracity of the primary data sources.' The Lancet takes issues of
scientific integrity extremely seriously, and there are many outstanding
questions about Surgisphere and the data that were allegedly included in this
study. Today, three of the authors of the paper, 'Hydroxychloroquine or
chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational
registry analysis', have retracted their study. They were unable to complete an
independent audit of the data underpinning their analysis. As a result, they
have concluded that they 'can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary
data sources.' The Lancet takes issues of scientific integrity extremely
seriously, and there are many outstanding questions about Surgisphere and the
data that were allegedly included in this study." -- The Lancet
As CBN News reported, last month, The Lancet
published the article about the study. But the medical journal later said it
had concerns about the data that was used in the highly publicized article on
hydroxychloroquine.
Some of those patients were treated with the malaria
drug that President Trump announced he was taking. The president also
encouraged others to use it.
Following the article's publication, several
clinical trials were put on hold. The study, which used data provided by the
healthcare data analytics firm Surgisphere, was not a traditional clinical
trial in which hydroxychloroquine would have been compared to a placebo or
other drug. The Lancet's editors noted that serious questions about the study
were raised, and an independent audit about the data has already been assigned,
according to Reuters.
Almost 150 doctors signed an open letter to The
Lancet last week, calling the article's conclusions into question and asking to
make public the peer-review comments that preceded its publication.
"This is not some sideshow or minor
issue," said Dr. Walid Gellad, a professor at the University of
Pittsburgh's medical school. "We're in an unprecedented pandemic. We've
organized these enormous clinical trials to figure out if something works. And
this study stopped or paused a couple of those trials, and changed the
narrative around a drug that no one knows if it works or not."
Reuters also
reported the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) said it was concerned about
the quality of the data behind a different study published in May that also
used data from Surgisphere and had the same lead author.
As CBN News has reported, several former COVID-19
patients, including pastors, a lawmaker, and several celebrities have said the
drug proved effective in their treatment. In April, Pastor A.R. Bernard of the
Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, NY, revealed his harrowing bout with
COVID-19 and how the drug cocktail with hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic
azithromycin saved his life.
Also in April, Michigan Democratic state Rep. Karen
Whitsett personally met and thanked Trump for clearing the way for doctors to
prescribe hydroxychloroquine, a treatment she says led to her recovery.
"It actually saved my life within a couple of
hours - made all the difference in the world," Whitsett said.
Pastor Don Wilkerson, the co-founder of Teen
Challenge and the brother of the late David Wilkerson from The Cross and the
Switchblade fame, told CBN News his doctor prescribed hydroxychloroquine.
Wilkerson says he remembers waking up the next morning significantly
better.
Actress Rita Wilson also said her fever broke after
she took hydroxychloroquine. Wilson and her husband, actor Tom Hanks, were two
of the first celebrities to reveal they both had come down with COVID-19 while
working on a movie project in Australia.
Actor Daniel Dae Kim who's known for his roles on
"Lost" and "Hawaii 5-0" claimed hydroxychloroquine was the
"secret weapon" that helped in his recovery from the disease.
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