A hunt for a treatment option yields hope, reveals concerns

There’s always hope when something is floated as a potential treatment option for a frightening illness. That’s been the case with chloroquine and the closely related drug hydroxychloroquine, which have been touted by President Trump as strong options to treat Covid-19.

But these drugs haven’t been through rigorous clinical trials for the treatment of the coronavirus yet.

On Monday, the World Health Organization said they "eagerly await" the outcomes of studies on these drugs, but officials cautioned there was no “empirical evidence” they work and that doctors need to watch for side effects.

One thing to understand about a lot of these early studies is the sample sizes are small or aren’t randomized. We should wait for more definitive studies to see if these drugs actually have any benefit at all against the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, we use early tests for clues. Some doctors have shared anecdotal success. Others have shared failures.

There have been growing concerns about the impact the medications can have on the heart. A preliminary study in Brazil was halted early after several patients being treated with chloroquine died. But in that study, drug doses were much higher than what’s used in the United States. Last week in Sweden, hospitals sent guidance to doctors not to use chloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients outside of clinical trials.

Also last week, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society issued guidance about critical cardiovascular considerations for the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat the novel coronavirus, saying doctors must consider “potential serious implications for people with existing cardiovascular disease.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed from its website guidelines for doctors on how to prescribe the two drugs. The page with CDC guidance is shorter and no longer gives dosage information about the drugs.

All of that to say: There can be hope, but there also must be caution. Right now, doctors are trying to save lives with the tools they have available, but in the long run, rigorous scientific studies will guide treatment.