Hydroxychloroquinine updates (and other potential treatments)

[jesmu84]

Figured we could start this separate

https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/04/06/hydroxychloroquine-update-for-april-6

[tower912]

Well, if the Chloroquine is having negative interactions with Metformin, that eliminates it for a lot of diabetics.

[GooooMarquette]

Whether or not he has a financial stake - POTUS has no business commenting on the potential efficacy of a medical treatment. That should be left exclusively to the FDA, state health officials and doctors.

[pbiflyer]

After Trump's statements about hydroxychloroquine, lupus and arthritis patients face drug shortage.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/health/hydroxychloroquine-shortage-lupus-arthritis/index.html

[WarriorDad]

Whether or not he has a financial stake - POTUS has no business commenting on the potential efficacy of a medical treatment. That should be left exclusively to the FDA, state health officials and doctors.

The survey of 6000 doctors shared a few days ago showed the best alternative treatment results doctors have seen came from this drug.  Some doctors have spoken highly of it.  This comes back to what experts to believe or listen to.  Leaders in other states have also spoken about it.  A Democrat state rep in Michigan attributed her recovery in part from the drug.  He is not alone it talking about the drug as a hopeful alternative.  The financial stake is something less than $3000 according to the press and as a little as $99.  Hard to believe anyone is using that angle.  There are numerous areas to take issue with, his financial stake is not one of them and looks petty.

[The Sultan]

The survey of 6000 doctors shared a few days ago showed the best alternative treatment results doctors have seen came from this drug.  Some doctors have spoken highly of it.  This comes back to what experts to believe or listen to.  Leaders in other states have also spoken about it.  A Democrat state rep in Michigan attributed her recovery in part from the drug.  He is not alone it talking about the drug as a hopeful alternative.  The financial stake is something less than $3000 according to the press and as a little as $99.  Hard to believe anyone is using that angle.  There are numerous areas to take issue with, his financial stake is not one of them and looks petty.

He has a financial stake and one of his donors has even a larger stake. But I agree that's not the issue.

The issue ois the President of the United States should not be giving out medical advice that runs counter to doctors who know better.

Sorry I know that is harsh for someone as soft and squishy as the moderate you claim to be, but that's the reality.

[jesmu84]

https://twitter.com/joshgerstein/status/1247682413687222272?s=19

France halted hydroxy trial

Edit: per Lenny (and replies), unclear on exactly what is going on here.

[Lennys Tap]

https://twitter.com/joshgerstein/status/1247682413687222272?s=19

France halted hydroxy trial

This may be fake news.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Update on convalescent plasma therapy. I think the headline is a little sensational/premature since like everything else being tried it has to go through clinical trials. Additionally, it seems like a slowish process. One donor can provide enough plasma for four treatments, but it also talks about some donors having more anti-bodies than others.

That said, I have friend and co-worker that tested positive and has recovered so I know who to hit up for this.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/plasma-treatment-being-tested-new-york-may-be-coronavirus-gamechanger-n1178436

[forgetful]

Update on convalescent plasma therapy. I think the headline is a little sensational/premature since like everything else being tried it has to go through clinical trials. Additionally, it seems like a slowish process. One donor can provide enough plasma for four treatments, but it also talks about some donors having more anti-bodies than others.

That said, I have friend and co-worker that tested positive and has recovered so I know who to hit up for this.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/plasma-treatment-being-tested-new-york-may-be-coronavirus-gamechanger-n1178436

This is my favorite in terms of promise. But it goes beyond this. I posted a link to this study a while ago. But, a Chinese lab sequenced all the antibodies from recovered patients, and then tested them all for best efficacy against COVID-19. The advantage here is they have a library of antibodies, that can now be produced on scale and the used in patients. It will require some testing, but Chinese biotech may have this ready to go in 3-4 months. US companies in 6 months.

I have a colleague that works in this arena and he is very bullish about it. Similar in design to convalescent therapy, but can be done on industrial scale and without the need for a blood match.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

This is my favorite in terms of promise. But it goes beyond this. I posted a link to this study a while ago. But, a Chinese lab sequenced all the antibodies from recovered patients, and then tested them all for best efficacy against COVID-19. The advantage here is they have a library of antibodies, that can now be produced on scale and the used in patients. It will require some testing, but Chinese biotech may have this ready to go in 3-4 months. US companies in 6 months.

I have a colleague that works in this arena and he is very bullish about it. Similar in design to convalescent therapy, but can be done on industrial scale and without the need for a blood match.

Very interesting, thanks for the additional information.  So if produced at scale, would giving the anti-bodies to unaffected people protect them from infection?

[forgetful]

Very interesting, thanks for the additional information.  So if produced at scale, would giving the anti-bodies to unaffected people protect them from infection?

Technically, if given close to the time of infection (where they are still circulating in the blood stream), they would limit the risk of infection. But that wouldn't be the goal here. It is really a scalable replacement of convalescent plasma. If you were to get ill, these antibodies would fight the virus until your body starts to produce its own effective antibodies.

So really a treatment, not a protection. That said, high-risk individuals that may have been exposed could be given this immediately after exposure, and then likely never progress to serious illness.

[Jockey]

The CDC has removed from its website highly unusual guidance informing doctors on how to prescribe hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, drugs recommended by President Donald Trump to treat the coronavirus.

In other news, the US is losing 47% of their supply of the drug as India has banned exports of it. Hopefully Lupus and Arthritis sufferers will not suffer even more with the dwindling supply.

[Elonsmusk]

The CDC has removed from its website highly unusual guidance informing doctors on how to prescribe hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, drugs recommended by President Donald Trump to treat the coronavirus.

In other news, the US is losing 47% of their supply of the drug as India has banned exports of it. Hopefully Lupus and Arthritis sufferers will not suffer even more with the dwindling supply.

One positive of this pandemic is how it has illuminated our dependency on China and India to furnish our drug supply.  Global economy sucks when you have countries like China and India who can pay pennies to their labor as compared to American labor. 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

The Onion is always there to amuse us.


Trump Overturns Presidential Limo While Touting Effectiveness Of PCP To Treat Coronavirus

https://www.theonion.com/trump-overturns-presidential-limo-while-touting-effecti-1842733129?utm_source=TheOnion_Daily_RSS&utm_medium=email

[jesmu84]

https://www.newsweek.com/hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-france-heart-cardiac-1496810

[Jockey]

https://www.newsweek.com/hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-france-heart-cardiac-1496810

The good news is that only rs would actually believe Trump.

[GooooMarquette]

https://www.newsweek.com/hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-france-heart-cardiac-1496810

Yep. Mike Ackerman's lab has identified several genetic markers linked to sudden death due to long QT intervals, so he knows his stuff. Here is an article from yesterday about his warnings with hydrocychloroquine.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mayo-clinic-cardiologist-inexcusable-ignore-hydroxychloroquine-side-effects-n1178776

And on the personal side, I have worked with Mike and he is a tremendous human being. Here is one article about a girl from Michigan he was helping to treat several years back:

https://sharing.mayoclinic.org/2009/05/09/a-prom-promise-kept/

[reinko]

One positive of this pandemic is how it has illuminated our dependency on China and India to furnish our drug supply.  Global economy sucks when you have countries like China and India who can pay pennies to their labor as compared to American labor.

Uhhh, isn't this just your normal free market capitalism?

Company A produces widget B in the USA for y amount of dollars.  Finds out can produce widget B can be produced for Z amount of dollars in India or China.

Y>Z , thus company moves manufacturing to India or China.

[tower912]

I will take plasma with antibodies over the chloroquine.

[Lennys Tap]

Uhhh, isn't this just your normal free market capitalism?

Company A produces widget B in the USA for y amount of dollars.  Finds out can produce widget B can be produced for Z amount of dollars in India or China.

Y>Z , thus company moves manufacturing to India or China.

Widgets, sure. Some things are more important than widgets. Consumers are capable of making more informed choices if it's important enough.

[Lennys Tap]

https://www.newsweek.com/hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-france-heart-cardiac-1496810

Stopped treatment on ONE patient. Slightly different than France stopped treatments on patients period.

[reinko]

Widgets, sure. Some things are more important than widgets. Consumers are capable of making more informed choices if it's important enough.

I get it, but big pharma and their shareholders are by large driven by $$$, so yeah, they kind of look at their products as widgets. 

If they want to change that, of course that's on them, they will just have to justify it to their shareholders and lower profits, or raise prices.  This ain't rocket surgery.

[Lennys Tap]

I get it, but big pharma and their shareholders are by large driven by $$$, so yeah, they kind of look at their products as widgets. 

If they want to change that, of course that's on them, they will just have to justify it to their shareholders and lower profits, or raise prices.  This ain't rocket surgery.

Would it surprise you if in the relatively near future consumers were willing to reward companies manufacturing important drugs in the USA rather than China even if it cost them a little more?

[jesmu84]

Would it surprise you if in the relatively near future consumers were willing to reward companies manufacturing important drugs in the USA rather than China even if it cost them a little more?

I honestly try to do this when feasible.

Do you know how difficult it is to find a "made in USA" garden hose on Amazon?