In a recent article from Science Times, an old vaccine for tuberculosis is being tested against the coronavirus to find a quicker way in protecting health care workers, among others.
The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (B.C.G.) vaccine is proven not only to prevent tuberculosis but also prevents infant deaths from a variety of causes, and it also reduces the incidence of respiratory infections. That is why it is still widely used in developing countries.
But recent findings on malaria drugs approved by more than 6,000 doctors in 30 countries are now making headlines due to its high rate of effectiveness on patients infected with the coronavirus.
Read: Strong Data From Human Clinical Trial Show Old Vaccine Can Stop Coronavirus, Claims Boston Expert
The best coronavirus drug currently available
According to an international poll of thousands of doctors, the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is the best coronavirus drug presently available. The majority of the 6,000 doctors surveyed or 37 percent said it was the most effective therapy for the virus.
The use of the chloroquine drug and its derivative form, hydroxychloroquine, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use to treat coronavirus patients. However, doctors have already been using it off-label in hospitals.
The survey found that hydroxychloroquine drug is also widely used in other countries for diagnosed patients with mild to severe symptoms, while in the U.S. it is used for the high-risk infected patients.
Clinical Trials
The most commonly prescribed drug by physicians was 33 percent hydroxychloroquine, 41 percent for azithromycin, and 56 percent analgesics. Sermo chief Peter Kirk said that doctors should have more of a voice in how we deal with this pandemic and be quick to share information with the rest of the world.
Doctors in China are considering to give the drugs a 'prophylactic' to give to asymptomatic people who test positive for the virus. Early clinical trials in China prove that hydroxychloroquine can reduce the severe effects of coronavirus.
Although the U.S. can already use the drug, it is still not licensed in the U.K., but its clinical trials are underway to assess whether this drug and other existing medicines are suitable for testing COVID-19. Until clear evidence suggests its effectiveness, it should only be used within a clinical trial. People should still follow the guidelines from N.H.S. ad stay at home.
More extensive clinical trials are already happening in New York and other areas. Italy is going to test the drug to 2,000 people, while China has previously conducted bigger trials and now are only waiting for the results.
In Europe, countries like the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Sweden, and Luxembourg are using 3,200 patients who have been hospitalized from COVID-19 to undergo clinical trials called Discovery.
Also Read: Scientists in Australia Started Testing Possible Coronavirus Vaccine
Not a Miracle Cure
The drug is not a miracle cure, says Dr. Ellie Cannon, a N.H.S. G.P. and Mail on Sunday health columnist. She urges everyone to stop thinking that hydroxychloroquine is the magic bullet until the drug is indeed proven to be the magic bullet.
All medications are weighed up to treatments, and these medications come with side effects that we must not forget, Dannon added. Hydroxychloroquine is known to cause heart rhythm problems and are dangerous for the liver and kidney. People should be careful about these hidden side effects in what seems to be a magic bullet that can cure coronavirus.
Read More: FDA Nods First Coronavirus Antibody Test In the US: Does It Guarantee Immunity?
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