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Specialists are demanding the elimination of two drugs used in Romania to treat patients infected with COVID-19, because they were found to have side effects.
Thus, Cochrane Romania specialists affirm that both Lopinavir – Ritonavir, with the trade name Kaletra, and Hydroxychloroquine, known as Plaquenil, have a “Greater number of side effects”, and the purported benefits of treatment are lacking, according to recently published studies.
“At best, Plaquenil can shorten the course of the disease. For those who have a mild form and stay at home, it does not prevent aggravation and hospitalization. For those who are serious, it does not prevent death. It does not prevent those in the hospital from becoming serious and reaching intensive care and intubation. There I wrote, I don’t know which one, of all those systematic syntheses, there were about 4 or 5 that had even found a higher mortality. All kinds of red flags have been issued, especially by cardiologists, about some cardiovascular side effects.. “- said Professor Cristian Băicuș, member of the advisory council of Cochrane Romania and doctor of the Colentina Hospital in Bucharest, in an interview with the journalist Pro TV Liliana Curea, producer of the program “Good doctor”.
Calls for the urgent elimination of these two drugs and the modification of Order no. 487 / 23.03.2020 for the approval of the protocol for the treatment of SARS-VOC-2 virus infection.
hydroxychloroquine, known as Plaquenil, has been used in treatment protocols for COVID-19 around the world, but since the beginning of the pandemic, randomized clinical trials have begun to show its effects on mortality and severity of the disease.
Specifically, after 17 systematic syntheses and 5 randomized clinical trials conducted between July and October 2020, no definitive evidence was found to show that hydroxychloroquine or plaquenil had decreased mortality among patients, but, on the contrary, it is famous an increase in mortality.”- shown in a statement from Cochrane Romania.
Professor Cristian Băicuș also cautions that given the lack of significant beneficial effects for the patient, as well as the presence of indisputable side effects, administration to COVID-19 patients is not recommended.
“Hydroxychloroquine can reduce the duration of symptoms by a few days. For those not hospitalized, it does not reduce the risk of hospitalization,” says Prof. Dr. Cristian Băicuș, according to a statement.
Another argument of the doctor is that hydroxychloroquine disappeared from treatment protocols in many countries.
The same conclusion is reached for lopinavir-ritonavir-based therapy or Kaletra. Some observational studies in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 reported that treatment would shorten the duration of the disease, but at the same time, other similar studies showed no benefits from therapy.
Thus, between January and October 2020, three randomized studies were identified that compared the effectiveness of treatment with Kaletra with the standard one, that is, without antiviral drugs. The latest study, published in the Lancet earlier this month, included about 1,600 patients, in whom no benefits of treatment were identified.
Currently, Cochrane specialists also say, in order no. 487 of March 23, 2020, subsequently modified by Order no. 1,418 of August 7, 2020, the protocol for the treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection includes Lopinavir and therapy with hydroxychloroquine.
“Given the lack of proven benefits for both lopinavir-ritonavir and hydroxychloroquine, and the detection of a risk associated with a greater number of adverse effects, we consider it necessary to urgently amend the MS order and modify the therapeutic protocol.“- say Romanian specialists.
In May, Donald Trump was surprised to announce that he was being treated with hydroxychloroquine.
In May, Donald trump he was surprised to announce that he was being treated with hydroxychloroquine, a drug used for malaria, but which he promoted, saying it would have positive results.
Trump told reporters that his personal physician did not recommend taking the drug, but later addressed the White House official.
Subsequently, the World Health Organization decided to stop clinical trials with hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment for hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
The reason: “Hydroxychloroquine, compared to standard treatments for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, does not reduce mortality in these patients.”.
