April 6, 2020

USA: Israeli GENERIC Drug Giant Announced It Will DONATE Ten Million Doses Of Hydroxychloroquine To US Hospitals FREE OF CHARGE. India Decided To Allow Export Of Hydroxychloroquine To The USA.

Times of Israel
written by TOI staff and AFP staff
Friday March 20, 2020

Hydroxychloroquine one of several drugs cited in recent days as being possibly effective against coronavirus; Israeli firm says it will provide as many as possible at no cost.

Israeli generic drug giant Teva announced Friday that it will provide ten million doses of its anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which could potentially prove effective in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, to US hospitals free of charge.

The company said six million doses will be delivered to US hospitals by March 31, and more than ten million in a month.

“We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost,” Teva executive vice president Brendan O’Grady said.

US President Donald Trump touted the potential use of chloroquine on Thursday after encouraging results in China and France, although many experts warn of caution.

In France, the Sanofi laboratory said it was ready Tuesday to offer millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine to potentially treat 300,000 patients.

The hydroxychloroquine molecule, also used for decades in autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, could indeed have an effect on the elimination of the virus, said Professor Didier Raoult, director of France’s Institut Hospitalo Universitaire (IHU) for the study of infectious diseases.

According to the study carried out by Prof. Raoult on 24 patients with coronavirus, six days after the start of taking hydroxychloroquine, the virus had disappeared in three-quarters of people treated.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency that oversees the marketing of drugs in the United States, somewhat tempered President Trump’s enthusiasm by pointing out that the treatment, authorized for certain diseases, had not been approved for coronavirus.

But it will set up “an extended clinical trial,” said Stephen Hahn, its leader.

On the strength of these medical advances, Teva also indicated that it will do everything to accelerate its production of hydroxychloroquine and also conduct research to see if in its large catalog of 3,500 drugs, others can be used to fight COVID-19.

Also this week Chinese authorities said a drug produced in Japan could be effective for treating coronavirus patients. China’s ministry of science and technology said late Tuesday that some clinical trials have been completed on favipiravir — the main ingredient in the influenza drug Avigan.

The trials using the drug as a treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, showed “very good clinical results,” an official said.

A trial involving 80 cases conducted by a hospital in Shenzhen and a study of 120 cases led by Wuhan University’s Zhongnan Hospital both showed the drug shortened the recovery time for patients. Clinical tests using Avigan as a treatment for the virus have also started in Japan.

Another drug cited as possibly helping patients is remdesivir, an experimental antiviral from Gilead Sciences.

No drug is specifically approved now for treating COVID-19.
Live Mint News
written by Elizabeth Roche
Sunday April 5, 2020

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump said he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to supply hydroxychloroquine tablets that can be used to treat covid-19 patients in his country, which now has the highest number of cases in the world.

According to people familiar with the development in New Delhi, the request is under consideration with India expected to take a call after assessing its own domestic requirement of the drug.

Trump late Saturday had said he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to supply hydroxychloroquine tablets to his country, which now has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world.

Hydroxychloroquine tablets are recognised as prophylactic for those on the frontline of the fight against covid-19--doctors, nurses, paramedics and first responders--and can be used to treat patients infected with the deadly virus.

Analysts say that the request from the US could be seen as an opportunity in multiple ways. It signifies a recognition of India’s contribution and potential in the pharmaceutical sector and will provide a possible opening for India and the US to negotiate their differences to cap prices of drugs and medical devices.

At his White House coronavirus task force briefing late Saturday, Trump said he had reached out to India for supply of hydroxychloroquine. The US recorded the highest number of deaths on the same day, more than 1,300, due to covid-19.

“After the call today (Saturday) with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is giving serious consideration to releasing the hold it put on a US order for hydroxychloroquine," Trump was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“India makes a lot of it. They need a lot too for their billion-plus people. The hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug, will be released through the Strategic National Stockpile for treatment," he said.

“I said I would appreciate it if they would release the amounts that we ordered," he added.

In his comments, Trump also said he too may take hydroxychloroquine, though on doctors’ orders.

The president also warned that the next two weeks were going to be “very, very deadly." “Unfortunately, but we are going to make it so that we lose as few lives as possible and I think we are going to be successful," he added.

In a Twitter post on Saturday following his conversation with Trump, Modi had said,“Had an extensive telephone conversation with President @realDonaldTrump. We had a good discussion, and agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight COVID-19".

India’s foreign ministry readout on Saturday on the conversation made no mention of Trump’s request.

“Stressing on the special relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s solidarity with the US in overcoming this global crisis together. The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India–US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat COVID-19," the Indian statement had said.

Earlier last week, the Indian foreign ministry had said US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had discussions with Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar on the phone about the importance of continued close cooperation between the two nations to combat the virus by strengthening global pharmaceutical supply chains.

India had announced a ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations made from hydroxychloroquine on 26 March though the Indian commerce ministry had said exports would be allowed from special economic zones (SEZs) and to fulfil prior obligations or for humanitarian efforts by the government.

Last month India had also banned exports of sanitizers and extended a ban on ventilators to artificial respiratory apparatus, oxygen therapy apparatus and any other breathing appliance to ensure the availability of these critical healthcare items.

On Saturday, India announced a ban on the export of diagnostic kits and laboratory reagents as the number of covid-19 cases in the country soared past the 3,000 mark, with death toll nearing 80.

As of Sunday, there were more than 312,000 covid-19 cases in the US, with 8,503 deaths, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. The worst affected was New York with over 2,600 deaths.

Former Indian ambassador to the US Lalit Mansingh said given the importance of the request--that had come directly from Trump--India should look at providing some drugs to the US.

“It is a recognition of the potential of the Indian pharmaceutical sector. The US’ need for the drug is more than ours given the alarming numbers of those infected. It is more than our need at present though India has much larger number of people and our graph is also going up...I think the prime minister will respond to President Trump’s request," Mansingh said.

Looking ahead, Mansingh said this may provide India and the US with an opportunity to sort out issues related to India’s capping of prices of drugs and medical equipment like stents that have figured prominently in trade disputes between the two countries.
Live Mint News
written by Elizabeth Roche, Leroy Leo
Monday April 6, 2020

NEW DELHI: Paying heed to US President Donald Trump’s call, India on Monday decided to allow export of hydroxychloroquine -- a drug seen as key in the treatment of the covid-19 pandemic -- on a “case by case" basis. It also allowed the export of paracetamol, a popular antipyretic, as well as some more drugs.

The decision follows a telephone conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. Besides the US, a number of other countries also have approached India to export hydroxychloroquine. Nearly half of US's supply of the drug, which as such is prescribed against malaria, comes from India.

At his White House briefing on covid-19 in the US, Trump said, “After the call today (Saturday) with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is giving serious consideration to releasing the hold it put on a US order for hydroxychloroquine."

“India makes a lot of it. They need a lot too for their billion-plus people. The hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug, will be released through the strategic national stockpile for treatment," he had said.

“I said I would appreciate it if they would release the amounts that we ordered," he added, warning that the next two weeks would be “very, very deadly."

Two government officials familiar with the matter said that the Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba gave its green signal to the lifting of the ban – albeit with certain conditions attached. These were domestic availability and sufficient stocks of the drugs for people at home, the situation in the covid-19-affected country and India’s ties with countries to which the drugs will be exported to, one of two officials cited above said.

The second official said that this decision had received the “all clear" and could be implemented soon.

The export of some other drugs, restricted by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) last month, had also been cleared, the official said.

DGFT had last month tightened controls over the exports of 13 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including paracetamol, certain vitamins and antibiotics, and formulations made by them as the covid-19 epidemic in China was seen affecting their supply. This meant that companies planning to export these products would have had to secure a no-objection certificate from the government.

Separately, the government had also banned the export of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug which has been repurposed for treatment of covid-19. Drug regulators across the world have been approving the use of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis based on anecdotal evidence despite concerns of its adverse impact on cardiac patients. The treatment has been approved due to the health emergency caused by the novel virus, which has no known cure.

The number of infections due to covid-19 worldwide is inching towards the 1.3 million mark with more than 70,000 deaths. In the US, the worst affected currently by covid-19, infection numbers are headed towards the 340,000 mark with the death toll at over 9,600, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University’s live tracker of the disease. New York is the epicenter of the outbreak in the US with more than 3,000 deaths. In India, the number of active cases is at 3,851 with 111 deaths.

An Indian readout of the telephone conversation between Modi and Trump said: “Stressing on the special relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s solidarity with the US in overcoming this global crisis together. The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India–US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat COVID-19."

Ties between India and the US have warmed rapidly over the past two decades with an increasing congruence of strategic interests from terrorism emanating from Pakistan to peace in the Indo-Pacific region. In February, India hosted President Trump for a three-city 36-hour visit, laying out the red carpet for the occasion.
CNBC News
written by Reuters staff
Friday March 20, 2020

Novartis will donate enough doses of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat several million patients in the fight against the coronavirus, if it wins approval, the Swiss company said on Friday.

There are no vaccines or treatments approved for the disease, but there is currently a 1,500-person trial, led by the University of Minnesota, to see whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent or reduce the severity of COVID-19. Two other trials are studying blood pressure drug losartan as a possible treatment.

Novartis makes the malaria drug, which is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, at its Sandoz unit in the United States. It plans to DONATE 130 MILLION doses of the drug and is in talks with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulators over expanding its use for coronavirus.

“Novartis is supporting ongoing clinical trial efforts, and will evaluate needs for additional clinical trials,” it said in a statement.

In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a news conference on Friday he is optimistic about the malaria treatment’s use against COVID-19.

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, did not take issue with Trump’s optimism, but said the drug’s promise is based so far on anecdotal evidence in France and that more data is needed.

“What I’m saying is that it might - it might - be effective. I’m not saying that it isn’t,” Fauci said.

Fauci also said that while toxic reactions to the drugs are rare based on decades of patient use and can be reversible in many cases, that is not known for COVID-19.

“What we don’t know is when you put it in the context of another disease whether it’s safe. Fundamentally, I think it probably is going to be safe, but I like to prove things first,” Fauci said.

Novartis has 50 million doses in stock, and hopes to produce another 80 million by the end of May for donation. The donations may be sufficient to treat several million patients, depending on the dosing regimen, Novartis said.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), added hydroxychloroquine to its list of drugs in short supply this week. Four out of eight manufacturers of the drug are in short supply, it said.

Bayer AG has donated three million tablets of the malaria drug Resochin, which is similar to hydroxychloroquine, to the U.S. government for potential use against coronavirus.

Mylan NV is ramping up production and expects to begin supplying it more broadly in mid-April. It said with the raw materials on hand it can make 50 million tablets to potentially treat more than 1.5 million patients.

Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd said it would donate more than six million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets.

UPDATE 4/7/20 at 1:04am: Added info below.
UPDATE 4/7/20 at 3:33am: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 7:20 PM 0 comments

USA: FDA Gives Emergency Authorization of Hydroxychloroquine Use. NY Doctor Has Treated 900 Coronavirus Patients With 100% SUCCESS Using Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate, Zinc and Z-Pak.

Breitbart News
written by Joel B. Pollak
Sunday March 29, 2020

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency authorization Sunday for hydroxychloroquine, a drug already used to treat malaria and other ailments, which has shown anecdotal efficacy against coronavirus.

The use of the drug — often paired with azithromycin — has not yet been proven in clinical trials to be effective against the disease. However, given reported success in a growing number of small, non-randomized studies; as well as testimonials from doctors and patients about the use of the “off-label” drug regimen, doctors are said to be prescribing the treatment to patients who are severely ill. Anecdotally, many doctors are taking it prophylactically.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a statement on Sunday:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to BARDA to allow hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products donated to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible.
HHS also noted that it had “accepted 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, and one million doses of chloroquine phosphate donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, for possible use in treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19 or for use in clinical trials.”

Earlier, the French government had approved similar drugs to treat the virus.

Amid concerns that the sudden interest in hydroxychloroquine could cause shortages, HHS noted: “Use of the donated medications is expected to help ease supply pressures for the drug, and the FDA is also working with manufacturers of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to increase production to ensure these drugs also remain available for patients dependent on them for treatment of malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.”

President Donald Trump has suggested that hydroxychloroquine could be effective, and has encouraged further study. His interest in the drug has prompted pushback from the media.

NBC News’ Peter Alexander accused the president last week of giving Americans “false hope,” and Politico’s Dan Diamond reported Sunday that the FDA decision came despite “scant evidence,” adding that “[c]areer scientists have been skeptical of the effort.”
Tech Startups News
written by Staff
Thursday April 5, 2020

Over the past three weeks, we’ve been sharing with you the great work Dr. Zelenko, a board-certified family practitioner in New York, has been doing in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in New York. In our last piece, Dr. Vladimir Zelenko treated 700 coronavirus patients treated with 99.9% success rate using Hydroxychloroquine, 1 outpatient died after not following protocol. In the meantime, more doctors are seeing success with hydroxychloroquine and Zinc Sulphate in treating coronavirus patients, according to one report from ABC News.

Today, we now have a new and encouraging updates from Dr. Zelenko. In a one-hour video, Dr. Zelenko provides a detailed medical explanation about why his cocktail of Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate, Zinc and Azithromycin (not Z-Pak) works, and why the three-drug combination are really needed in killing coronavirus.

Unlike the conventional method of admitting patients to the hospitals, Dr. Zelenko’s approach is to provide treatment to patients before their situation get worse so they don’t have to be admitted into the hospital. His approach has been so effective to the point that he has treated 900 coronavirus patients with 99.99% rate. His approach is to provide treatment to people so that they don’t have to be put on ventilators. His out-patient treatment regimen, which costs only $12, is as follows:

1. Hydroxychloroquine 200mg twice a day for 5 days

2. Azithromycin 500mg once a day for 5 days

3. Zinc sulfate 220mg once a day for 5 days

In an open letter to medical professionals across the globe, Dr. Zelenko said this: “The rationale for my treatment plan is as follows. I combined the data available from China and South Korea with the recent study published from France (sites available on request). We know that hydroxychloroquine helps Zinc enter the cell. We know that Zinc slows viral replication within the cell. Regarding the use of azithromycin, I postulate it prevents secondary bacterial infections. These three drugs are well known and usually well tolerated, hence the risk to the patient is low.”

In this new must watch video, Dr. Zelenko went on to explain that hydroxychloroquine helps zinc penetrate the cell (zinc decelerates viral replication in the cell). He stated that azithromycin combats secondary infections. Dr. Zelenko is surprised that many other doctors operate with a “peace time mentality.” Instead, he calls for bravery and mindset adjustment.

Jerome Corsi published April 3, 2020: Dr. Vladimir Zelenko joins Dr. Karladine Graves and Dr. Corsi to describe the treatment protocol he developed and used for 900 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 over the past weeks.

Rabbi Aryeh Katzin published March 30, 2020: Dr. Zelenko provides hope for the treatment COVID-19! FDA approved it today!


Coronavirus Patient Interview, Says Hydroxychloroquine Saved His Life After He Asked Doctor For It.
Fox News
written by Gregg Re
Thursday April 2, 2020

After repeatedly mocking President Trump for suggesting on March 19 that hydroxychloroquine could be an effective treatment for coronavirus, media organizations have begun acknowledging that the drug -- now approved for emergency use to treat coronavirus by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- may be useful after all.

Journalists and top Democrats have beaten a similarly hasty retreat from their previous claims that Trump's ban on travel from China was both xenophobic and ineffective. But media outlets' misinformation on hydroxychloroquine was unique because it involved not simply policy disagreements but also suggestive medical advice and directives that could have dissuaded some from seeking certain treatments.

"Malaria Drug Helps Virus Patients Improve, in Small Study," The New York Times reported this week, adding: "A group of moderately ill people were given hydroxychloroquine, which appeared to ease their symptoms quickly, but more research is needed."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, went from threatening doctors who prescribed the drug with "administrative action" to requesting that the federal government ship her state some. Other state leaders have followed suit, including Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, also a Democrat.

And, an international poll of thousands of doctors rated hydroxychloroquine the “most effective therapy” for coronavirus.

It wasn't always considered acceptable to use that kind of optimistic rhetoric, however.

"Trump peddles unsubstantiated hope in dark times," read a March 20 "analysis" by CNN's Stephen Collinson. Saying Trump was "adopting the audacity of false hope" and embracing "premature optimism," Collinson charged that "there's no doubt he overhyped the immediate prospects for the drug" because the FDA had not provided an explicit timeline on approving the drug to treat coronavirus.

In fact, at the March 19 White House briefing, Trump had remarked: "Now, a drug called chloroquine, and some people would add to it, hydroxychloroquine, so chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine ... [has] shown very encouraging, very, very encouraging early results." The president acknowledged that the drug may not "go as planned" and that more testing was needed, but that "we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately."
Nevertheless, the media onslaught continued. "Trump is giving people false hope of coronavirus cures. It’s all snake oil," read one Washington Post headline. Added the Post's editorial board: "Trump is spreading false hope for a virus cure -- and that’s not the only damage."

"The most promising answer to the pandemic will be a vaccine, and researchers are racing to develop one," the paper insisted, although it is not staffed with medical experts. "Mr. Trump’s inappropriate hype has already led to hoarding of hydroxychloroquine and diverted supplies from people with other maladies who need it. His comments are raising false hopes. Rather than roll the dice on an unproven therapy, let’s deposit our trust in the scientists."

USA Today's editorial board was similarly aggressive and mocking, writing, "Coronavirus treatment: Dr. Donald Trump peddles snake oil and false hope."

"There are no approved therapies or drugs to treat COVID-19 yet, but the president hypes preliminary chloroquine trials at White House briefing and unproven remedies on Twitter," the paper wrote, just days before the FDA would approve the drug.

Communications strategist Drew Holden flagged these and numerous other examples of media misinformation on the matter in a lengthy Twitter thread.

Salon, Holden noted, called Trump's hope in the new treatment his "most dangerous flim-flam: False hope and quack advice."

The New Yorker pondered "The Meaning of Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Quackery," observing that Trump's "pronouncements are a reminder, if one was needed, of his scorn for rigorous science, even amid the worst pandemic to hit the U.S. in a century."

Michael Cohen, a Boston Globe columnist, urged networks to stop airing Trump's coronavirus press briefings because he was spreading "misinformation" about a potential cure.

And, NBC News complained, "Trump, promoting unproven drug treatments, insults NBC reporter at coronavirus briefing."

The New York Times' Kurt Eichenwald reported that a "Louisiana MD" on the "front lines of the COVID-19 fight" had told him that "Hydroxychloroquine doesn't work" and that "amateurs who dont [sic] understand research" were driving up demand for the drug. ("Count me skeptical of your source here, Kurt," Holden wrote.)
Vox mocked Trump's "new favorite treatment" for the drug, and said the evidence is "lacking" that it works.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Arizona woman who said she and her husband drank fish-tank cleaner to ward off coronavirus has donated heavily to Democrats and acknowledges she's not a Trump supporter -- despite news reports that she ingested the dangerous drug because she trusted what she thought was the president's advice.

The 61-year-old woman, whose first name is Wanda but has asked for her full identity to be withheld, survived the ordeal. Her 68-year-old husband, Gary, did not. Wanda has said that she and her husband each took a "teaspoon" of the fish-tank cleaner; medical toxicology results and a police investigation were pending.

"I saw it sitting on the back shelf and thought, 'Hey, isn't that the stuff they're talking about on TV?'" Wanda told NBC News, referring to the chloroquine phosphate in her fish-tank cleaner.

On March 19, Trump had touted anecdotal evidence that the antimalarial drug chloroquine could be used as a treatment for coronavirus during a White House briefing, calling it a possible "game-changer." In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug on an emergency basis, even though various media reports had mocked Trump's suggestion.

However, the woman and her husband ingested the additive chloroquine phosphate, which has been used in aquariums to kill microscopic organisms that might harm fish and other aquatic animals.

Several media organizations that confused the chloroquine medication with chloroquine phosphate used in aquariums later issued corrections. Some have not, however, and continue to incorrectly insist that chloroquine phosphate as used in aquariums could treat coronavirus.

Nevertheless, Wanda drew national attention by claiming that Trump had suggested she consume the fish-tank cleaner with her husband, and that she did so to avoid "getting sick."

"My advice is don’t believe anything that the president says and his people because they don’t know what they’re talking about," Wanda told NBC News' Vaughn Hillyard.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by The Washington Free Beacon revealed numerous other recipients of Wanda's cash, including Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the pro-choice EMILY's List.

Additionally, Fox News has reviewed a Facebook page apparently belonging to Wanda, which was first identified by the Twitter user Techno Fog.

"Your psycho prez is in [t]own, are you going to see him?" Wanda wrote on Facebook on Feb. 19, by way of wishing a friend a happy birthday. Trump was in town at a rally in Phoenix, Ariz., on that day.

Wanda has not replied to multiple requests for comment by Fox News. She deleted her Facebook page after Fox News attempted to contact her there.
Daily Mail News, UK
written by Carly Johnson
Sunday March 22, 2020

Lost star Daniel Dae Kim has credited an antimalarial drug for his recovery from coronavirus.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday evening the 51-year-old said he felt 'back to normal' and had not needed hospital treatment.

Kim, who will remain in self-isolation until Monday, claimed to 'have no symptoms' other than congestion and believes that the antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine was the 'secret weapon' to his recovery.

'I am happy to report that my progress has continued and I practically feel back to normal. I am lucky enough to be in the 80% of diagnosed cases that have not required hospitalization,' revealed the Hawaii-based actor in the nearly seven-minute video.

Kim's personal physician prescribed him a 'drug cocktail' that consisted of the antiviral medicine TamiFlu, the antibiotic Azithromycin, a Glycopyrrolate inhaler, and the antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine.

Though all of the medicines worked in conjunction to aid in Kim's healing process, the actor stated that Hydroxychloroquine was the 'secret weapon.'

According to Kim, the drug 'has been used with great success in Korea in their fight against the coronavirus' and was the drug mentioned by President Trump during a White House press conference earlier in the week.

Another crucial point the actor brought up was that he began taking his 'drug cocktail' prior to the onset of the virus' signature fever.

Daniel refused to speak in specifics about his dosage, since it was 'tailored specifically' to him, but he encouraged people to visit their doctors and found out the dosage that would work most efficiently for them.

The Hawaii Five-0 star was able to nail down his diagnosis thanks to a coronavirus test kit, but the actor stated that he would not undergo another test due to the national shortage.

'There just aren't enough tests for everyone who needs them,' he said. 'This continues to be a serious problem in our country, not to mention the shortage of medical supplies.'

To conclude his lengthy video, Kim noted that he 'won't be addressing the politics of this issue' in his personal health updates going forward.

'My political beliefs may not be the same as yours, but especially in times like this what's most important is that we put people over politics and take care of one another.'
UPDATE 4/6/20 at 7:42pm: Added info below.
UPDATE 4/6/20 at 9:37pm: Added tweet below.
UPDATE 4/7/20 at 12:57am: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:49 PM 0 comments

FRANCE: French Government Reverses Earlier Ban On Hydroxychloroquine For Treating Coronavirus Patients In Light Of Successful Clinical Studies Showing Significant Efficacy Against The Virus.

The Local, France
written by AFP staff
Tuesday March 24, 2020

The anti-malarial drug chloroquine can be administered in France to patients suffering from the severest forms of the coronavirus but only under strict supervision, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday.

Citing a ruling adopted after a meeting of France's high public health council, Veran said the drug could not be used to treat milder cases of the illness.

Some researchers have said chloroquine shows great promise as a treatment, though scientists have agreed that more trials are needed to determine if the drug is really effective and safe.

"The high council recommends not to use this treatment... with the exception of grave cases, hospitalised, on the basis of a decision taken by doctors and under strict surveillance," Veran told reporters.

President Donald Trump has said the US is fast-tracking chloroquine for use as a treatment but other voices have urged prudence over its effectiveness.

Experts are divided over whether the drugs are suitable though, having undergone only the briefest of clinical trials.

"We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that's where the (Food and Drug Administration) has been so great," Trump told reporters, referring to both antimalarials.

"They've gone through the approval process -- it's been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we're going to be able to make that drug available by prescription."

"As an example, many Americans have read studies and heard media reports about this drug chloroquine, which is an anti-malarial drug.

"It's already approved, as the president said, for the treatment of malaria as well as an arthritis condition.

"That's a drug that the president directed us to take a closer look at, as to whether an expanded use approach to that could be done to actually see if that benefits patients."

Chloroquine is a synthetic form of quinine, which has been used to treat malaria since the 1940s. Hydroxychloroquine shares a similar mechanism of action but is less toxic.

French drug maker Sanofi on Wednesday said it stood ready to offer the French government millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine, sold under its brand name Plaquenil, in light of a "promising" study carried out by Didier Raoult (pictured) of the IHU Mediterranee Infection in Marseille.

Raoult reported this week that after treating 24 patients for six days with Plaquenil, the virus had disappeared in all but a quarter of them. The research has not yet been peer reviewed and published.

Last week Swiss laboratory Novartis offered to make available up to 130 million doses of anti-malarial drug chloroquine, which is considered a potential efficient treatment for the coronavirus.

Pharmaceutical industry executives say they expect it will take 12 to 18 months to roll out a vaccine and jointly pledge to make it available worldwide based on need.

Authorities were alarmed last week when a message circulating on the popular WhatsApp messaging service recommended people to take a dangerously high dose of anti-malaria drug chloroquine to treat COVID-19.

DoctorOz published March 23, 2020: COVID-19: The COVID-19 Treatment Controversy: Interview with the Expert Who Believes He Has a Treatment. Meet the Man Behind the French Drug Combo Study. "If you personally had COVID-19, would you treat yourself with this combination therapy?" Here's a sneak peek to my exclusive interview with the author of the French study about the COVID-19 drug combo everyone is talking about right now: hydroxychloroquine & azithromycin.

Tech Startups
written by Staff
Wednesday March 18, 2020

March 27, 2020 Update 9: BREAKING: French researchers just completed new additional study on 80 patients, results show a combination of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin to be effective in treating COVID-19 patients. The team found that, by administering hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin, they were able to observe an improvement in all cases, except in one patient who arrived with an advanced form, who was over the age of 86, and in whom the evolution was irreversible.

On March 18, we published a story about a new study published by NIH which shows that Hydroxychloroquine has been found to be more effective and potent than chloroquine in vitro treatment of coronavirus. While the media is focused on the vaccine race and leaving the discussion of THERAPEUTICS almost completely neglected, a recent well controlled clinical study conducted by Didier Raoult​ M.D/Ph.D, et. al in France showed that 100% of patients that received a combination of HCQ and Azithromycin tested negative and were virologically cured within 6 days of treatment. According to a new unearthed paper, new evidence shows CDC knew since at least 2005 that chloroquine is effective against coronaviruses.

In the meantime, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the ‘compassionate use’ of chloroquine to treat coronavirus patients in the United States. In addition, recent guidelines from South Korea and China report that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are effective antiviral therapeutic treatments for novel coronavirus.

A therapeutic agent that prevents infection with novel coronavirus is highly desirable–especially for persons with high-risk exposure (e.g healthcare professionals) as well as persons with comorbidities (heart disease, diabetes, etc) and compromised immune systems. Ground-breaking in vitro studies demonstrate potential efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic for novel coronavirus infection in primate cells.

Note: Hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquenil) is an inexpensive, globally available drug (tablet) that was approved for widespread medical use since 1955. It is commonly used today to treat malaria, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

The study is part of the initiative from an independent group of scientists and physicians working on an open-data clinical trial for prevention of COVID-19, through the use of hydroxychloroquine in combination with other therapeutic agents. The group is now calling on President Trump to allow Americans to use the drug.

Unlike a typical commercial drug trial, the objective of the group is to share trial data with the public* and health-care professionals as close to real-time as possible (with a reasonable level of data quality assurance). Given the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, the group is looking for every possible means to fast-track the effort. You can read their draft paper at https://www.covidtrial.io/

March 27, 2020 Update 8: While we are all talking about anti-malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, Italian doctors said that Tolicizumab, a drug used to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, has shown to be more effective than hydroxychloroquine in treating coronavirus patients.

March 27, 2020 Update 7: Given the wild success of hydroxychloroquine, India government has now banned exports of anti-malaria wonder drug Hydroxychloroquine as demand surges. In a statement issued by India Ministry of Commerce and Industry, exports will be limited to fulfilling existing contracts, while certain shipments on humanitarian grounds may also be allowed on a case-by-case basis.

March 25, 2020 Update 6: While everyone is busy talking about coronavirus, another virus outbreak just came out of China. The virus is called hantavirus. A man in China just died from hantavirus. Over 1,000 cases have now reported.

March 25, 2020 Update 5: Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a board-certified family practioner in New York, treated 350 coronavirus patients with 100% success using Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate.

March 24, 2020 Update 4: Health agencies are now warning coronavirus patients not to self-medicate with chloroquine as Arizona man dies after taking a form of chloroquine used to clean aquarium (MUST READ).

March 24, 2020 Update 3: Given the success of the two anti-malaria drugs, renowned French research Didier Raoult and the leader of the French study, said in his first interview with U.S. Dr. Oz that it is unethical to deny coronavirus patients access to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (z-pak).

March 23, 2020 Update 2: WHO launches global ‘Solidarity trial’ of the four most promising drugs for effective treatments of coronavirus starting with 8 countries. The trial will test four different drugs or combinations – remdesivir, a combination of two drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir, the two drugs plus interferon beta, and chloroquine.

March 20, 2020 Update 1: Coronavirus treatment breakthrough: French study confirms that a combination of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Azithromycin are effective in treating COVID-19 patients.
Trust Nodes News
written by Staff
Saturday March 28, 2020

Days after beginning a large scale double blinded trial, the so called gold standard, France has now reached the conclusion chloroquine is recommended to treat corona.

Speaking at a news conference, Jérôme Salomon (pictured), France’s director general of health, said the officially sanctioned prescriptions of chloroquine to treat corona “allows a temporary authorization to allow certain patients with coronavirus to benefit from this therapeutic route.”

Doctors in France now will finally be able to treat patients with Didier Raoult, a renown doctor that specializes in infectious diseases, announcing new clinical results that show out of 80 patients treated with chloroquine, 78 recovered within 5 days.

That’s considerably more than the usual 14 days and for some it can go up to 28 days if they recover at all.

The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, further said on Thursday that doctors can now prescribe chloroquine both in hospital and for home usage:

“Hydroxychloroquine and the combination of lopinavir / ritonavir may be prescribed, dispensed and administered under the responsibility of a doctor to patients affected by Covid-19, in the healthcare establishments which take charge of them, as well as for the continuation of their treatment if their condition allows it and with the authorization of the initial prescriber, at home”.

In America considerable politics has developed over chloroquine, but New York should be out with the results on Monday which may lead to a US wide sanctioned usage of treatment.

In UK the government has prohibited its use outside of trial, but that position is probably untenable now as they have to explain why they are not treating patients as France is doing.

The hope is that once general treatment is given, and preferably early treatment, this situation can be contained as in South Korea or in China or in much of Asia.

Thus they’ll relax the draconian restrictions that have led to supermarkets running out of food even in the nice neighborhoods of London.

A return to normality should then stabilize prices for stocks or cryptos, both of which were on a bull run of sorts before the mass curfews.
UPDATE 4/7/20 at 1:11am: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 4:20 PM 0 comments

WORLD: 6,770 Doctors In 30 Countries Were Polled And ALL AGREED Hydroxychloroquine Is Currently The Most Effective Coronavirus Treatment. Also Read 3 International Studies Results.

New York Post
written by By Natalie O'Neill
Thursday April 2, 2020

An international poll of thousands of doctors rated the Trump-touted anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine the best treatment for the novel coronavirus.

Of the 6,227 physicians surveyed in 30 countries, 37 percent rated hydroxychloroquine the “most effective therapy” for combating the potentially deadly illness, according to the results released Thursday.

The survey, conducted by the global health care polling company Sermo, also found that 23 percent of medical professionals had prescribed the drug in the US — far less than other countries.

“Outside the US, hydroxychloroquine was equally used for diagnosed patients with mild to severe symptoms whereas in the US it was most commonly used for high risk diagnosed patients,” the survey found.

The medicine was most widely used in Spain, where 72 percent of physicians said they had prescribed it.

A debate about hydroxychloroquine was sparked two weeks ago after President Trump touted the drug as a possible “game-changer” in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting critics to accuse him of peddling unproven, untested remedies.

To date, “there is no evidence” that any medicine “can prevent or cure the disease,” according to the World Health Organization.

But Sermo CEO Peter Kirk called the polling results a “treasure trove of global insights for policymakers.”

“Physicians should have more of a voice in how we deal with this pandemic and be able to quickly share information with one another and the world,” he said in a press release.

The 30 countries where doctors were surveyed included Europe, South America and Australia — and no incentives were provided to participate, the company said.
The Washington Times
written by Valerie Richardson
Thursday April 2, 2020

An international poll of more than 6,000 doctors released Thursday found that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine was the most highly rated treatment for the novel coronavirus.

The survey conducted by Sermo, a global health care polling company, of 6,227 physicians in 30 countries found that 37% of those treating COVID-19 patients rated hydroxychloroquine as the “most effective therapy” from a list of 15 options.

Of the physicians surveyed, 3,308 said they had either ordered a COVID-19 test or been involved in caring for a coronavirus patient, and 2,171 of those responded to the question asking which medications were most effective.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave chloroquine and its next-generation derivative, hydroxychloroquine, emergency-use authorization Monday for treating the novel coronavirus, although the drug was already being used off-label by some doctors and hospitals for COVID-19 patients.

The survey also found that the most commonly prescribed treatments are analgesics (56%), azithromycin (41%) and hydroxychloroquine (33%).

Azithromycin, known by the brand name Zithromax or Z-Pak, was rated the second-most effective therapy at 32%, followed by “nothing,” analgesics (including acetaminophen), anti-HIV drugs and cough medicine.

Hydroxychloroquine, which is sold under the brand name Plaquenil, was prescribed mainly in the United States for the most severe cases, but not so in other countries.

“Outside the U.S., hydroxychloroquine was equally used for diagnosed patients with mild to severe symptoms whereas in the U.S. it was most commonly used for high risk diagnosed patients,” the survey found.

The 30 nations surveyed included those in Europe, Asia, North America and South America, as well as Australia. No incentives were provided to participate in the poll, conducted March 25-27, according to Sermo.
Hydroxychloroquine usage was most widespread in Spain, where 72% of physicians surveyed said they had prescribed it, followed by Italy at 49%, and least popular in Japan, where 7% had used it to treat COVID-19.

The poll found 23% of U.S. medical professionals had prescribed the drug, which has been FDA-approved for malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Debate about hydroxychloroquine has raged in the United States since President Trump touted it two weeks ago as a potential “game-changer” in the fight against the deadly pandemic, prompting critics to accuse him of peddling unproven remedies, or “snake oil,” as USA Today put it.
Sermo CEO Peter Kirk called the polling results a “treasure trove of global insights for policy makers.”

“Physicians should have more of a voice in how we deal with this pandemic and be able to quickly share information with one another and the world,” he said. “With censorship of the media and the medical community in some countries, along with biased and poorly designed studies, solutions to the pandemic are being delayed.”

The survey also found that 63% of U.S. physicians believe restrictions should be lifted in six weeks or more, and that the epidemic’s peak is at least 3-4 weeks away.

The survey also found that 83% of global physicians anticipate a second global outbreak, including 90% of U.S. doctors but only 50% of physicians in China.

On average, U.S. coronavirus testing takes 4-5 days, while 10% of cases take longer than seven days. In China, 73% of doctors reported getting rest results back in 24 hours.

In cases of ventilator shortages, all countries but China said the top criteria should be patients with the best chance of recovery (47%), followed by patients with the highest risk of death (21%), and then first responders (15%).

In China, the survey said doctors prioritized patients at greatest risk of death.
The Gateway Pundit
written by Jim Hoft
Thursday March 19, 2020

HUGE BREAKING NEWS—

There are now THREE international studies — China, Australia and France — that found that Chloroquine with Azithromycin Shows 100% Success Rate in Treating Coronavirus in 6 Days!

We have reported on the success of Chloroquine earlier today and this week.
President Trump announced on Thursday morning that the CDC had approved use of the drug in treating coronavirus patients.

But tonight we heard more from Rep. Mark Green, a former Army Flight Surgeon, that the combination of Chloroquine with Azithromycin cleared the virus in 3 days in 100% of the patients in the study.

That is THREE international studies now that show the success of the Chloroquine treatment.
UPDATE 4/7/20 at 1:16am: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 3:37 PM 0 comments

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