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I did read about how Swedish hospitals stopped using chloroquine for COVID-19 due to severe side effects. I've googled, but I'm unable to find anything definiti

I did read about how Swedish hospitals stopped using chloroquine for COVID-19 due to severe side effects. I've googled, but I'm unable to find anything definitive regarding whether or not Sweden has given up on hydroxychloroquine, which seems to have less severe side effects. In the US, hydroxychloroquine can only be obtained when prescribed by a doctor (depending on which US State you live in, your governor may or may not allow it to be dispensed outside of a hospital setting). Even though hydroxychloroquine has been around for over 70 years, there's risk associated with it. It's obvious to me that the front-line doctors at Yale are throwing everything they can think of at this virus to keep as many people out of the ICU as possible. They've obviously made a lot of progress in a very short time. It reminds me of the way some startups with minimal runway develop an MVP and then keep iterating in an attempt to get better results. It's a harsh environment, but that's what forces people to innovate quickly, and sometimes succeed. As they say in the movies: GO! FIGHT! WIN!

jnurmine 6y ago
AFAIK Sweden says no to both. The Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket) said on April 2nd that chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine should be used for the Covid-19 indication within clinical studies only, otherwise only for the approved indications (arthritis, lupus and similar). This is because the available data does not offer robust conclusions on efficacy and safety. [1] This is in line with EMA recommendations, which defer use within emergency programs to national authorities. [2] And in Sweden's case they say "no". [1] https://www.lakemedelsverket.se/sv/nyheter/klorokin-och-hydroxiklorokin-bor-endast-anvandas-for-behandling-av-patienter-med-covid-19-inom-kliniska-studier https://www.lakemedelsverket.se/sv/nyheter/klorokin-och-hydr... [2] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-chloroquine-hydroxychloroquine-only-be-used-clinical-trials-emergency-use-programmes https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-chloroquine-hydro...

jnurmine 6y ago

AFAIK Sweden says no to both. The Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket) said on April 2nd that chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine should be used for the Covid-19 indication within clinical studies only, otherwise only for the approved indications (arthritis, lupus and similar). This is because the available data does not offer robust conclusions on efficacy and safety. [1] This is in line with EMA recommendations, which defer use within emergency programs to national authorities. [2] And in Sweden's case they say "no". [1] https://www.lakemedelsverket.se/sv/nyheter/klorokin-och-hydroxiklorokin-bor-endast-anvandas-for-behandling-av-patienter-med-covid-19-inom-kliniska-studier https://www.lakemedelsverket.se/sv/nyheter/klorokin-och-hydr... [2] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-chloroquine-hydroxychloroquine-only-be-used-clinical-trials-emergency-use-programmes https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-chloroquine-hydro...