The Philippines will follow WHO’s advice to stop using Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients, according to DOH.
The Department of Health said that the DOH will follow the World Health Organizations’ advice to stop using hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 cases.
This, after a study stated that an off-label drug hydroxychloroquine could increase the chance of death. On Monday, the World Health Organization announced that the WHO was temporarily suspending the use of off-label drug hydroxychloroquine in its multi-country Solidarity Trial.
In a report on ABS-CBN News, the off-label drug hydroxychloroquine — which was originally made in treating malaria — was “one of the drug and drug combinations” that were being studied by different countries as a treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
While the hydroxychloroquine was initially said to be “promising”, a recent study published in The Lancet stated that the said drug might put COVID-19 patients at risk of dying.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday said that the proponent of their study sent a letter to her office which stated that they’re “pulling out” and they’re stopping from giving the said drug to COVID-19 cases in the country due to WHO’s advice. Vergeire also said that the DOH cannot release yet the results of the country’s study since it was still in its clinical trial phase.
As per the report, other drugs included in the said trial were with Chloroquine, Remdesivir, Lopinavir-Ritonavir, and Lopinavir-Ritonavir with Interferon beta-1a.
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