Containing Covid: Jaipur’s SMS Hospital's doctors say it’s anti-HCQ ‘propaganda’

JAIPUR: While the World Health Organisation (WHO) halted clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) following safety concerns, head of the core group for treatment of Covid-19 at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital has called it a “propaganda.”
“Certainly, HCQ is not the most effective drug for Covid-19 treatment and may in fact be ineffective in critical patients. But labelling it as a horrendous cardio toxic drug to scare millions of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus is an irresponsible propaganda,” said Dr Sudhir Bhandari, principal and controller of SMS Medical College and head of the core group constituted by the state government for Covid-19 treatment at SMS Hospital.
Amid the pandemic, HCQ has become an integral part of treatment protocol for the ailment and has been used extensively by corona warriors as a prophylactic drug or for preventive treatment. Even civil servants, who are directly involved in the fight against Covid-19, have taken HCQ.
SMS Medical College too used it for treatment of Covid-19 patients and it came to light when they successfully treated an Covid-19 infected Italian tourist couple with the use of four drugs, one of which was HCQ in March. The hospital’s treatment advisory advocated use of HCQ as a first preference in low doses (400 mg BD on Day-1 followed by 200mg BD for four days). Linking HCQ with cardio toxicity evoked sharp reaction. “Many publication hungry people find it the most convenient time now to blame it on HCQ. There will be always someone who will buy this theory at this time,” said Dr Bhandari, while adding that they will continue using the drug.
Alleging that it is mispropaganda against inexpensive HCQ for making expensive new drugs, Bhandari said, “Of late, cardiac complication of Covid-19 is being blamed on HCQ. Almost every critical and dying Covid-19 patient has cardiac complications. Most people think of Covid-19 as primarily a lung disease. People including doctors often forget that immediate cause of most Covid-19 deaths could be due to cardiac complications. If used in Covid-19 patients with already existing cardiac complications, it can add fuel to the fire, especially because of the relatively high loading dose used in Covid-19.”
He, however, claimed that if used in Covid-19 patients with already existing cardiac complications, it can add fuel to the fire, especially because of the relatively high loading dose.
Recent observation in Mumbai shows that all 9 policemen who died of Covid-19 were not on HCQ prophylaxis. Health department is keeping an eye on the development related to HCQ. “We have asked our expert advisory group to examine the latest WHO advisory in consultation with ICMR. We will then proceed accordingly,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary (health).
So far, SMS Hospital has discharged more than 750 patients after curing them.