The article is horrible and the study should be retracted. The claim that HCQ is dangerous is simply false. HCQ is actually one of the most carefully studied and widely prescribed drugs in the world, and its very minimal side effects are very well understood. In fact, its probably less dangerous than over the counter medications like aspirin and ibuprofen. While there is little evidence that HCQ was useful against COVID, the fact is that it is safe enough that prescribing it because it may help is a not a bad idea. The FDA claim that HCQ is 'dangerous' is only true to the extent that misusing any drug is dangerous, even aspirin and ibuprofen. If you do even the most basic research, you will discover that HCQ was at least as effective as remdesevir, and vastly less dangerous. Yet the FDA approved remdesevir. The reason of this of course is that remdesevir is an expensive and copyrighted drug, while HCQ is generic, widely available, and cheap. Finally, the discussion about 'off-label' use is simply a ridiculous red herring, many drugs have off label uses, and its not at all unusual for drugs to prescribed more often for off-label uses than actual labeled uses. Please, do some basic research on the subject. Dont publish such ridiculous claims.
Good post, but I’m not sure I’m convinced that “the FDA shouldn’t be too quick to approve experimental treatments” is the right takeaway from the COVID experience. I’m stuck on the fact that the vaccines that were eventually approved, and which saved millions of lives, were invented over a weekend in March or April of 2022, but wasn’t approved for widespread use for over a year. On net, it seems like we’d have been better off with no FDA approval process than with a more careful one. Or how about we make it possible to have human challenge trials in exigent circumstances? The EUA for Trump’s hobby horse seems like relatively small potatoes by comparison. Am I missing something?
The article is horrible and the study should be retracted. The claim that HCQ is dangerous is simply false. HCQ is actually one of the most carefully studied and widely prescribed drugs in the world, and its very minimal side effects are very well understood. In fact, its probably less dangerous than over the counter medications like aspirin and ibuprofen. While there is little evidence that HCQ was useful against COVID, the fact is that it is safe enough that prescribing it because it may help is a not a bad idea. The FDA claim that HCQ is 'dangerous' is only true to the extent that misusing any drug is dangerous, even aspirin and ibuprofen. If you do even the most basic research, you will discover that HCQ was at least as effective as remdesevir, and vastly less dangerous. Yet the FDA approved remdesevir. The reason of this of course is that remdesevir is an expensive and copyrighted drug, while HCQ is generic, widely available, and cheap. Finally, the discussion about 'off-label' use is simply a ridiculous red herring, many drugs have off label uses, and its not at all unusual for drugs to prescribed more often for off-label uses than actual labeled uses. Please, do some basic research on the subject. Dont publish such ridiculous claims.
Good post, but I’m not sure I’m convinced that “the FDA shouldn’t be too quick to approve experimental treatments” is the right takeaway from the COVID experience. I’m stuck on the fact that the vaccines that were eventually approved, and which saved millions of lives, were invented over a weekend in March or April of 2022, but wasn’t approved for widespread use for over a year. On net, it seems like we’d have been better off with no FDA approval process than with a more careful one. Or how about we make it possible to have human challenge trials in exigent circumstances? The EUA for Trump’s hobby horse seems like relatively small potatoes by comparison. Am I missing something?