Apparently, in some countries (including Australia afaik), doctors are now being stopped from prescribing HCQ to covid patients (for treatment or as prophylactic); and some countries have even removed it recently from over-the-counter availability, "reclassifying" it accordingly, despite it effectively being widely available and demonstrated safe/low-risk for decades....? Why is it "suddenly" dangerous, yet for many many years routinely prescribed and widely available for such things as malaria, and well-recognised as a "safe" product...?
A known "safe" product, showing promise in some cases for early-stage covid treatment in combination with zinc etc, yet suddenly restricted...?
For example, here is what the TGA here in Australia says:
Wow, it's interesting to me that they basically discounted the so-called "serious risks" and "significant adverse effects" when they have been handing it out for decades, but now they focus on these as some type of reasoning that we should now avoid it..? The research I've started around this indicates so far that while these potential consequences of HCQ can indeed be "serious", the actual RISK associated with them (likelihood x consequence) is relatively insignificant, especially for short-duration use; and this is exactly the reason that in many places you could (and still can in some countries afaik) simply buy it over the counter at the chemist... It's like saying people die in car accidents so you shouldn't drive - but we all know that simply stopping driving is not warranted by the severity of the possible consequence, it is the RISK that is relevant, and we all (most) choose to accept that relatively LOW risk and drive on a daily basis - despite that potential consequence indeed being very serious.
I smell a rat - something "proven" "safe" for decades, now suddenly effectively "banned"... and sure, I realise that we don't yet have results from extensive double blind randomised control trials specific to its efficacy for covid treatment, but there is indeed growing evidence/indication of effectiveness in some cases, and afaict there does not appear to be any reasonable evidence (i.e. significant danger/risk) that should actually prevent people from being able to access and use it if they so desire - especially not some disingenuous focus on the potential "adverse effects", considering its history of availability, classification and lack of restriction.
I'd hate to think so, but maybe it has something to do with it simply being circa $10 per treatment, instead of the thousands of $$ that something "new" will undoubtedly cost...? Afaik it has long been proven very safe, and if there is now growing - albeit limited - evidence of it being effective in some covid cases, then why restrict it? I'd understand waiting for all the "proper" trials etc if it were a new drug, and its safety profile was unknown, but this does not make sense for HCQ imo!
Anything for a buck hey...? Sad.
I have a lot more research to do, but am disgusted and appalled at what I have dug up so far on this topic. It defies logic. Afaict there are multiple doctors and medical experts citing good outcomes and supporting its use and further testing etc, yet their concerns and discussion around this seems to be being very misconstrued in the media out there. DYOR and dig deeper into the evidence before believing the headline nonsense - not many dig deeper, unfortunately.
