Hydroxychloroquine sparks new worry amid Covid-19 pandemic

The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, in treating or preventing Covid-19 is unclear. However, thousands of healthcare workers and common people continue to have them in the hope that it may guard them against novel coronavirus infection. Doctors, however, warn against the practice. According to Dr Kabir Sardana, professor of dermatology at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in New Delhi, they have come across healthcare workers using the drug as a preventive developing skin problems such as raised itchy eruptions, swelling of face, itching of body, itching of palms and soles, and rash involving the trunk. He added that when they investigated further, it was found that a number of patients who had been reporting with similar skin problems also had a history of taking HCQ without prescription. It took nearly two to three weeks for the skin reaction to subside. Patients with severe itching required oral steroids, the doctor said. Dr Sardana said healthcare workers taking HCQ should be aware that even a weekly dose – approved by Indian Council of Medical Research – can cause skin rash. The results of the study conducted by RML on the side-effects of HCQ use in healthcare workers has been published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. On June 17, World Health Organization announced that the HCQ arm of the Solidarity Trial to find an effective Covid-19 treatment was being stopped. The United Nations body took the decision based on the findings of a UK study that showed that the use of this drug did not result in reduction of mortality of hospitalised patients, when compared with standard of care. – MSN