Chetana Belagere By Express News Service BENGALURU: Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) temporarily halting trials of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a potential Covid treatment due to safety concerns, clinicians in the state say they see no reason why it should be discontinued as a treatment option for Covid patients. Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) too said, “No major side-effects of HCQ have been found in studies in India and its use should be continued in the preventive treatment of Covid-19 under strict supervision.” Of the 44 Covid deaths in Karnataka, 10 are due to cardiac arrest. “Data is yet to be released on actual symptomatic reasons behind these deaths. But we cannot say HCQ is the reason. Till we get another drug, there is no alternative to HCQ. It has been in use in India for over 40 years for other diseases,” said Dr Sacchidananda, Vice-Chancellor, RGUHS, who heads the Covid deaths monitoring committee. WHO, based on a Lancet study, said that the drug caused heart rhythm problems among patients receiving higher doses of HCQ and advised stopping the trials. HCQ is used to prevent malaria, and among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It has been in the market since the 1950s. “In India, even pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis and children are given HCQ. The rate of cardiac toxicity is very low, not at 5 per cent, but in the range of 0.05 percent. It is used without monitoring in countries for malaria prophylaxis. Then why don’t we speak of cardiac arrests in those cases,” asked a senior doctor on condition of anonymity. Dr CR Jayanti, Dean-cum- Director, Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, under the jurisdiction of which Covid-designated Victoria Hospital falls, said, “As a protocol, we have been administering HCQ and azithromycin in combination for mild, moderate and severe symptomatic patients, depending on the condition and we monitor their ECG. The relation between Covid deaths and HCQ has not been established.” The controversy around the drug began when US President Donald Trump started talking it up following a series of positive reports from doctors across the world. Along with HCQ, zinc is also normally administered to Covid patients. Doctors said, “The virus is inside the cell and zinc cannot get inside the cell for biochemical reasons. HCQ opens the door and lets zinc in. That’s all it does in this context,” said Dr Praveen Kumar, a physician at a private hospital. “The antibiotic azithromycin protects the patient from secondary infections.” Meanwhile, another renowned cardiac surgeon said, “In Karnataka, the drug has cured many. Cardiac arrests have happened due to various other comorbidities and can’t be linked with this drug alone.” Doctors and medical researchers suspect that several drug companies in the US want to push new drugs that almost do the same work as HCQ and are lobbying for its ban. “But the central government being very firm on the usage of this drug, it’s highly unlikely that its usage will be stopped to treat Covid patients,” a senior doctor said.

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