we should also be optimistic on treatment for covid-19. korean doctors created a protocol for treatment using antivirals and chloroquine, drugs which are widely available and affordable. elsevier.com/__data/assets/…
as a result of widespread testing, containment, and the adoption of their treatment protocol, south korea is seeing the lowest fatality rate of any country with major outbreak worldometers.info/coronavirus/
chloroquine’s apparent efficacy is highlighted in several papers: jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bst/14… sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
chloroquine, especially, is a well-studied drug and has a known safety profile. the apparent efficacy and adoption of its use in china, korea, and italy suggests we should consider it for treatment in the US. we don’t recommend it bc we haven’t conducted blinded clinical trials
currently, the CDC website (cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…) tells care providers there is no known treatment ... there is no mention of chloroquine or kaletra (antiviral used in korea)
in the absence of any treatment alternative whatsoever, the CDC should consider making the reco to care providers to consider the Korea protocol in treatment..and make supplies of chloroquine + Kaletra antivirals widely available through mandates to producers & distributors asap
the CDC/FDA should let doctors and patients decide if they want to use these drugs and ensure their broad availability (several care providers have told me they can not get prescriptions for chloroquine filled in the bay area)
remdesivir, another promising antiviral, is also not widely available and is only available to patients in the US under a compassionate use application..
given the possibility of efficacy and the scale of the covid-19 pandemic, this drug should be immediately scaled in production and made broadly available under a right-to-try mandate .. let doctors and patients decide
