The Philippines continued the trial use of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment, according to DOH.
The Department of Health lifted the temporary suspension and continued the trial use of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients in the Philippines.
This as Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the World Health Organization (WHO) officially lifted the temporary pause of Hydroxychloroquine in its multi-country trial.
The lifting of temporary suspension came over a week after the Philippines followed the directive from the World Health Organization to temporarily suspending the use of off-label drug Hydroxychloroquine in its multi-country Solidarity Trial.
Although researchers in a certain university in the United States revealed that by taking Hydroxychloroquine after being exposed to a person who has COVID-19 didn’t help prevent COVID-19 in a “statistically meaningful way”, adding that the side effects of taking Hydroxychloroquine were “more common” compared with the placebo, yet no serious adverse reactions were reported.
However, the said medicine had been previously promoted by US President Donald Trump saying that he took the said medicine as “prophylaxis” against the coronavirus disease and he even sent two million doses of Hydroxychloroquine to Brazil.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, said that the WHO found “no reasons to modify” the clinical trial which covered over 3,500 patients from 35 countries.
“Tayo ay makikinig. Tayo ay susunod at tayo ay magtutuloy ulit.“
Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the public shouldn’t think that the concerned organizations, including the WHO, were being inconsistent since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation was evolving.
Vergeire also said that the DOH stood by the position that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was just recently discovered and was still being studied, adding that the decision might change based on new evidence that came out every day. She also said that the DOH would listen, follow, and continue using Hydroxychloroquine.
Hydroxychloroquine was one of the four drug and drug combinations being used for the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Trial.
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