The Weird, Politicized War Over Hydroxychloroquine
Guy Benson
Posted: Apr 23, 2020 10:30 AM
Earlier this week, the news media was abuzz over a study performed by the VA purporting to show that the anti-viral drug hydroxychloroquine (in some cases paired with azithromycin) had no positive effect on Coronavirus patients -- and may have increased the likelihood of patients dying. Others have written about the media's bizarre and sloppy hostility toward any promising developments around this potential therapy, in some cases actively seeking out negative angles and anecdotes to report on instead.
In some ways, this treatment has become a culture war proxy for loving or hating President Trump, who has frequently mentioned the treatment. Hardcore Trump fans often seem too inclined to unduly tout it as something of a miracle cure (he can't be wrong!), while his relentless detractors almost appear to be rooting against the drug working (he can't be right!). Unlike previous embarrassing misfires, the limited VA study at least gives us some actual information to consider:
A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported. The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it’s the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19...The study was posted on an online site for researchers and has been submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine, but has not been reviewed by other scientists. Grants from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia paid for the work. Researchers analyzed medical records of 368 male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at Veterans Health Administration medical centers who died or were discharged by April 11. About 28% who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone. About 22% of those getting the drug plus azithromycin died too, but the difference between that group and usual care was not considered large enough to rule out other factors that could have affected survival.
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https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2020/04/23/the-weird-politicized-hydroxychloroquine-wars-n2567405
