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I'm reasonably sure having hospitals run out of it because it was hoarded by preppers is not a desirable outcome.

allovernow 7y ago
That's a patently ridiculous reason to make a drug illegal to own without a prescription. Should we also outlaw non Rx toilet paper? Hospitals have supply chains that are separate from pharmacies and grocery stores. This is a non sequitur. What about masks? Should they be preemptively made Rx only when all this is said and done because people hoarded them? What about the fact that evidence of Chloroquine's likely effectiveness has been around in the form of published studies for at least a month and a half and doctors still are barely testing it? What percentage of doctors do you think keep up with literature?
- saagarjha 7y ago
  Considering that news of coronavirus is so widespread that you're apparently aware of this, I would think that most doctors are probably aware of this too.
  - allovernow 7y ago
    Medical personnel outside of China were still laughing this off as "just another flu" until mid February at the earliest. Unfortunately all I have is anecdote...but it took far too long for people to take this seriously, because doctors are humans too and aren't necessarily trawling internet forums for happenings.
- lultimouomo 7y ago
  In emergencies it is pretty standard procedures to ration essential stuff in limited supplies. Food is regularly rationed during war times. It would not be ridiculous at all to limit the use of an OTC drug to hospitals during an emergency, if there is limited supply (don't know if that's the case with chloroquine). BTW cloroquine+antivirals is pretty much the first line drug treatment in Italy, at least according to guidelines: http://www.simit.org/medias/1555-covid19-linee-guida-trattamento-01mar.pdf http://www.simit.org/medias/1555-covid19-linee-guida-trattam... I'm pretty sure that doctors dealing with a pandemic have read enough about the treatment options to know the guidelines. But hey, surely that can't know as much as a random guy on the internet.
  - allovernow 7y ago
    >In emergencies it is pretty standard procedures to ration essential stuff in limited supplies We're talking about laws restricting free access to drugs before emergencies, not emergency quarantine.
jshevek 7y ago
Limiting the quantity that can be purchased to a particular address or credit card or similar restriction can help with this problem. As can inflating the price (high taxes) for non-doctors who are purchasing preemptively. If you are sick, go to a doctor and get it at the normal price. If you are a prepper, pay extra, buy less.
- ethbro 7y ago
  That still causes shortages. It's just increasing the ultimate gray market resale price. Looking at potential death puts gray market buyers in a weak negotiating position.
  - roenxi 7y ago
    There is a shortage either way; there hasn't been a change in the amount of the drug or the number of people who want it in either scenario. If anything, the price going up will increase production and the shortage will lessen as fast as the logistics chain can manage. Basically instead of people choosing where it goes a government agency/hospital system chooses where it goes. After the CDC testing debacle, hopefully people understand that giving control to the government isn't a clear cut win. It is good if people have some control over their own destiny.
    - lultimouomo 7y ago
      There will be a shortage of ICU beds too. Would you like to allocate them to the best payer as well?
      - roenxi 7y ago
        It isn't so much that I think the idea is good as much as there isn't really a way of stopping it and it will get the most resources allocated to the medical sector to set up more beds. If you are relying on the hospital's goodwill and I'm willing to throw down $100k in bribes; I suspect I will mysteriously get myself an ICU bed. It would be better if that money went to the hospital where they can buy more beds than to corrupt administrators. Much like I can get toilet paper if I'm willing to pay $200 a roll; and it would be better if that was going to the manufacturer rather than drug dealers as is currently the case in Australia.
tim333 7y ago
It's easy to make in vast quantities though.

That's a patently ridiculous reason to make a drug illegal to own without a prescription. Should we also outlaw non Rx toilet paper? Hospitals have supply chains that are separate from pharmacies and grocery stores. This is a non sequitur. What about masks? Should they be preemptively made Rx only when all this is said and done because people hoarded them? What about the fact that evidence of Chloroquine's likely effectiveness has been around in the form of published studies for at least a month and a half and doctors still are barely testing it? What percentage of doctors do you think keep up with literature?

saagarjha 7y ago
Considering that news of coronavirus is so widespread that you're apparently aware of this, I would think that most doctors are probably aware of this too.
- allovernow 7y ago
  Medical personnel outside of China were still laughing this off as "just another flu" until mid February at the earliest. Unfortunately all I have is anecdote...but it took far too long for people to take this seriously, because doctors are humans too and aren't necessarily trawling internet forums for happenings.
lultimouomo 7y ago
In emergencies it is pretty standard procedures to ration essential stuff in limited supplies. Food is regularly rationed during war times. It would not be ridiculous at all to limit the use of an OTC drug to hospitals during an emergency, if there is limited supply (don't know if that's the case with chloroquine). BTW cloroquine+antivirals is pretty much the first line drug treatment in Italy, at least according to guidelines: http://www.simit.org/medias/1555-covid19-linee-guida-trattamento-01mar.pdf http://www.simit.org/medias/1555-covid19-linee-guida-trattam... I'm pretty sure that doctors dealing with a pandemic have read enough about the treatment options to know the guidelines. But hey, surely that can't know as much as a random guy on the internet.
- allovernow 7y ago
  >In emergencies it is pretty standard procedures to ration essential stuff in limited supplies We're talking about laws restricting free access to drugs before emergencies, not emergency quarantine.

jshevek 7y ago

Limiting the quantity that can be purchased to a particular address or credit card or similar restriction can help with this problem. As can inflating the price (high taxes) for non-doctors who are purchasing preemptively. If you are sick, go to a doctor and get it at the normal price. If you are a prepper, pay extra, buy less.

ethbro 7y ago
That still causes shortages. It's just increasing the ultimate gray market resale price. Looking at potential death puts gray market buyers in a weak negotiating position.
- roenxi 7y ago
  There is a shortage either way; there hasn't been a change in the amount of the drug or the number of people who want it in either scenario. If anything, the price going up will increase production and the shortage will lessen as fast as the logistics chain can manage. Basically instead of people choosing where it goes a government agency/hospital system chooses where it goes. After the CDC testing debacle, hopefully people understand that giving control to the government isn't a clear cut win. It is good if people have some control over their own destiny.
  - lultimouomo 7y ago
    There will be a shortage of ICU beds too. Would you like to allocate them to the best payer as well?
    - roenxi 7y ago
      It isn't so much that I think the idea is good as much as there isn't really a way of stopping it and it will get the most resources allocated to the medical sector to set up more beds. If you are relying on the hospital's goodwill and I'm willing to throw down $100k in bribes; I suspect I will mysteriously get myself an ICU bed. It would be better if that money went to the hospital where they can buy more beds than to corrupt administrators. Much like I can get toilet paper if I'm willing to pay $200 a roll; and it would be better if that was going to the manufacturer rather than drug dealers as is currently the case in Australia.

tim333 7y ago

It's easy to make in vast quantities though.