Hydroxychloroquine Fact Sheet Part 1: Don't Let Politics Kill You! The Medication is Safe!

Liberty Counsel has published an informative and detailed fact sheet on hydroxychloroquine. Everyone who's concerned, especially those who are afraid of the Wuhan virus, needs to read it. You can download or print the fact sheet here. I'm going to publish it with commentary over the next few days. My comments are in  blue italics. Let's start with safety:

Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19 

Policy recommendations are by definition general and individuals are advised to seek the advice of their personal doctor. When considering hydroxychloroquine as treatment for COVID-19, two essential questions must be answered: 

1.) Is the medication safe?  

2.) Does the medication relieve symptoms of COVID-19 and reduce the chance of dying from it? 

This paper will first focus on answering the question: is hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) safe? 

Hydroxychloroquine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Association in April 1955, more than 65 years ago. It is commonly prescribed and used by healthy people as a prophylaxis to prevent contracting malaria, treating malaria, managing rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, as well as many other off-label uses. [For governments to deny doctors the right to prescribe this drug using best medical practice to treat sick patients is criminal! Many drugs are used off label. Think of the abortion industry using the "high alert" chemo drug methotrexate to attack babies in the womb. It's not approved by the FDA for that purpose, but politicians aren't banning its use. Hmm....Are we surprised?]

Harvard Assistant Professor of Medicine Lisa Fitzgerald, MD, made this comparison when discussing hydroxychloroquine: “Antimalarials have almost become like a daily multivitamin” for lupus patients, she is quoted as saying in WebMD. i 

Some of the most difficult hurdles for any drug to overcome are those encountered in order to be able to be recommended for use during pregnancy and for children. Keep in mind that over-the-counter Ibuprofen and nasal decongestants are not recommended for pregnant women. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “Who can take hydroxychloroquine? Hydroxychloroquine can be prescribed to adults and children of all ages. It can also be safely taken by pregnant women and nursing mothers.” Its website goes on to state, “[the] CDC has no limits on the use of hydroxychloroquine” for disease prevention.ii (Emphasis added) [The drug is safer than aspirin and has been used for decades. What's happening is politics at its worst. The left would rather kill people (and does through abortion) than stop the panic. They depend on fear and disaster to sink Trump's reelection.]

Jeff Evens on MD Edge wrote the following about hydroxychloroquine: 

“The anti-inflammatory compound hydroxychloroquine appears to be relatively safe during pregnancy, according to a small number of studies totaling about 250 patients.” “Now, many physicians who treat about four to five pregnant women with connective tissue disorder each year regularly prescribe antimalarials to such patients,” and “In fact, 69% of 52 physicians who responded to a survey about the use of antimalarials during pregnancy said they continued antimalarials in pregnancy sometimes, often, or always (J. Rheumatol. 2002;29:700–6).”iii 

It appears that taking the correct dose of hydroxychloroquine appears safe for healthy people, pregnant people, and children of all ages, including infants. Knowledge about this safety is evident as hydroxychloroquine is available as an over-the-counter drug (no prescription needed) in some countries, including India,iv Mexico,v and Tanzania.vi “The safety record of HCQ is indisputable,”vii stated Dr. Simone Gold with America’s Frontline Doctors. [The left has its knee on the necks of America's doctors and their patients. How many will die (and already have) because of their deadly policies?]

 i Griffin, R. Morgan. WebMD. Lupus Medications and Treatments. (Accessed (2020, August 4). https://www.webmd.com/lupus/features/lupus-medications-treatments#1

ii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medicines for the Prevention of Malaria While Traveling: Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil™) (Accessed 2020, August 4). 
https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/resources/pdf/fsp/drugs/Hydroxychloroquine.pdf

iii Evens, Jeff. MDedge ObGyn. Hydroxychloroquine 'Probably Safe' in Pregnancy. (Accessed 2020, August 1). https://www.mdedge.com/obgyn/article/50681/obstetrics/hydroxychloroquine-probably-safe-pregnancy

iv Fior Markets. Globe News Wire. Global Hydroxychloroquine Market Is Expected to Reach 5,549.65 Million by 2027 : Fior Markets. (2020, April 10). https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/04/10/2014779/0/en/Global-Hydroxychloroquine-Market-Is-Expected-to-Reach-5-549-65-Million-by-2027-Fior-Markets.html

v Fry, Wendy. San Diego Union Tribune. Consumers in Tijuana take a chance on over-the-counter medicine as coronavirus spreads. (2020, March 19). https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-bajacalifornia/story/2020-03-19/consumers-in-tijuana-take-a-chance-on-over-the-counter-medicine-as-coronavirusspreads 

vi Kaur, Harparkash, Catherine Goodman, Eloise Thompson, Katy-Anne Thompson, Irene Masanja, S. Patrick Kachur, and Salim Abdulla. PLOS ONE. A Nationwide Survey of the Quality of Antimalarials in Retail Outlets in Tanzania. (2008, Oct 15). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0003403

vii Gold, Simone. America’s Frontline Doctors. White Paper on Hydroxychloroquine. (Accessed: 2020, August 4). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-gsn_Ye2EYDDkV_79Ag1tgUqZLNCMSt-/view