Medical Journal Retracts COVID-19 Drug Study
Even though the collective consciousness of Americans is beginning to shift from the pandemic onto other things, I felt it was necessary to comment on a very interesting piece of COVID-19 news that was announced this week.
First, let me take you back a few months.
In February and early March, many experts I listened to were saying that there were no promising treatments for coronavirus that they were aware of. Then, one drug started getting lots of publicity after it was mentioned at the Coronavirus Task Force Briefings. It’s called hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).
Not long after that, I also began seeing doctors sharing stories on news programs about how well their patients were doing on the drug. One of them that I really enjoyed hearing from was Dr. Mehmet Oz, the famous host of “The. Dr. Oz Show.” He was regularly on a nightly news program sharing updates on what was happening in clinics run by doctors that he had been speaking with.
Here’s some clips from one interview he did with a doctor from Kansas City where he discusses his use of HCQ- Dr. Oz Discusses Hydroxychloroquine
This widespread publicity led to many doctors using the drug with their patients and seeing success. But, as you’d expect, the lack of clinical trials was a big stumbling block to HCQ being a more widely accepted treatment. This prompted the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons to compile data from all over the world, in the hopes of having enough clinical evidence to make a case for greater access. They found that the drug was around 90% effective in over 2300 COVID-19 patients, especially when they received the drug early in the disease process.
Read that report here- Data Shows 90% of COVID-19 Patients Respond to HCQ
So with all this promising information, why aren’t all COVID-19 patients using it? Well, it partly has to do with access restrictions designed to reserve the drug for only the sickest patients. In fact, in most places, COVID-19 patients couldn’t receive the drug unless they were already in the hospital. Given that the data shows that early intervention is key, this prompted Yale Researcher Harvey Risch to publish his data showing the need for earlier interventions of HCQ than what have been allowed.
Read his abstract here- Yale Researcher’s Case For Earlier Use of HCQ
Around this same time, The Lancet, a well known medical journal, published a study that seemed to show that HCQ was not only ineffective, but that it was actually dangerous. They claimed that patients taking the drug were more likely to die from COVID-19, and that those that lived had a higher risk of cardiovascular complications. Both of these claims were widely accepted and publicized afterwards, prompting a halt to clinical trials that were being done by the WHO and others.
Thankfully a group of scientists analyzed The Lancet paper, because there were some serious problems with it. 10 to be exact. These 100 scientists published an open letter to The Lancet stating their concerns and requesting the data for peer review.
You can read that letter here- 100 Scientists Refute Lancet Study)
After this, The Lancet announced that the data contributors could not produce the data used in the study. This prompted them to retract it earlier this week.
Now, although this retraction doesn’t prove the safety or efficacy of HCQ, it does mean that whatever conclusions were made about HCQ because of that particular study, should be thrown out. It is also important to note that in his research, Dr. Risch of Yale found that the FDA database has only recorded 62 cardiovascular related deaths out of nearly 50,000,000 people who have taken HCQ throughout its history. This shows that the cardiovascular risks may be quite low.
So what does this mean for you?
Well, I’m not a doctor so I’m not going to act like one, but I would call your doctor and ask him/her about this drug. Send them this article and ask their opinion. Consider finding out if you can get HCQ without having to be in the hospital. If so, have a plan to get HCQ along with the Z pack and Zinc tablets (which according to what I’ve heard is the most effective combination), on the first day that you might show symptoms.
From what I’ve studied, HCQ could help stop the replication of the virus. That means that if it is taken early, it may not progress as much. This may give you a better chance of not having to be hospitalized, or worse. Of course, the thing I promote the most is living a healthy lifestyle so your immune system can fight of the disease itself, but if you do end up needing a little help, maybe the HCQ combo will give you that edge.
Hope you found this helpful. Pass it along to friends and family. Who knows? Maybe it’ll save someones life.
God bless!
Chris
P.S. Since our first publication of this article, another large study has come out showing that patients taking HCQ in the hospital had roughly half the death rate of those who didn’t. Also very promising. Check that out by clicking here- New HCQ Study