Medications for COVID-19
By Elissa Rosen, MD, CEDS-S
The medications chloroquine (CQ), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and azithromycin have been in the spotlight lately as possible prophylactics and/or treatments for COVID-19. CQ and its derivative HCQ have been used in the prevention and treatment of malaria while azithromycin is an antibiotic primarily used to treat specific types of bacterial infections. HCQ is also used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. None of these medications are presently approved for or have evidence for efficacy in the fight against COVID-19. Clinical trials to investigate more are currently underway. For severe cases of COVID-19, some these medications have been administered off-label for compassionate use in critically ill patients under the supervision of critical care physicians.
All of these medications are not without serious, potentially life-threatening side effects themselves, such as cardiac arrhythmias. Cases of serious illness and/or death from CQ poisoning have already been reported in the US. Self-medicating for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 can be lethal so do not seek out, purchase, borrow, or take these medications on your own accord. They should only be taken if prescribed by a physician and at this time really only given in clinical trials or for compassionate use in critically ill COVID-19 patients.