Didier Raoult, director of the Research Unit in Infectious and Tropical Emergent Diseases (URMITE) in Marseille has found a potential treatment for Covid-19, the anti-viral drug, Hydroxychloroquine, and the antibiotic, Azithromycin.
He conducted an observational study of 30 patients and followed that up with another study of 80 patients.
He had a great deal of success again during his second study — he claims — and has published his results.
President Trump touted it after it was mentioned on The Ingraham Angle and that was its death knell in the U.S. press. They’ve demonized it since and two governors — Governor Sisolak of Nevada and Governor Whitmer of Michigan — banned its use for Covid-19 in their states. Such is Trump Derangement Syndrome.
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There are no clinical trials of the drug, generically called Pacquenil, but there are observational trials ongoing, including a massive one in New York City.
DR. RAOULT’S INTERVIEW
Dr. Raoult does not like randomized clinical trials. During an interview, he stated the following:
[Against randomized trials and placebos in infectious diseases] I have never done randomized trials (…). The effect of randomized stuff, maybe it works on people who have had a myocardial infarctus, but putting that in infectious diseases, it doesn’t make sense (…). In our world of microbes, to see if there is no more microbe, it’s quite easy, so it’s not worth giving a placebo to treat a septicemia, it’s a crazy story, it doesn’t make sense.
[Are non-inferiority tests ethical?] Since [randomized trial] does not make sense in infectious diseases, we arrived at a second question methods and ethics about non-inferiority trials: that is to say (…) how can we can tell someone: listen, there is a drug that works. There is another drug, we don’t know if it works as well, but we will test at random (…). The new drug is not worse than what already exists. I took a decision a long time ago, I do not do it [non-inferiority test]. I will not do in medicine what I would not do to me or my family. I
Clinical trials require one group receive a placebo. You can read the entire interview on this link.
The doctor is very controversial since he doesn’t conduct clinical trials, but he has been proven effective at times. He shouldn’t be dismissed. We have nothing else right now and people are dying or spreading the disease.
We have no idea if the drug works but it has been approved since 1955 for malaria. It is also used for some auto-immune diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis. It can be used off label for Covid-19. It should only be used in conjunction with a doctor’s recommendation.
We have nothing to save people with the Wuhan Virus. Why not try it under these circumstances?
THE LEFT NOW HATES THE FRENCH DOCTOR
The left has gone bonkers trying to destroy the French virologist’s work. He’s a microbiologist.
Dr. Raoult could be a crackpot, but other doctors have had some success with the drug and there is nothing else that is approved right now. The drug can be used off label.
We don’t know who is right, but we hope this drug works. We have nothing else. Dr. Rupp at Nebraska Univeristy Hospital is running a clinical trial with another drug. Some people are getting the placebo. Isn’t that like sentencing them to death?
Samples of Anti-Pacquenil Tweets:
Have you seen a picture of the French coronavirus researcher, Didier Raoult (L), whose 36-subject non-randomized open-label study of hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin attracted Trump’s attention?
Remind you of anyone?
Source: https://t.co/jqWs5xvPDC https://t.co/cgUOh4jkvf pic.twitter.com/LRwVkKIaYZ
— Bad Fox Graphics (@BadFoxGraphics) March 28, 2020
Michael Coudrey, who Trump retweeted about that awful #COVID19 study by Didier Raoult, is looking for a lawyer. He’s threatening to sue @GovSisolak of Nevada. Are there any lawyers of #Lupus patients who want to investigate Coudrey’s financial interests in hydroxychloroquine? pic.twitter.com/NFZNgMSiY5
— Nancy Levine 🌊Vote.org (@nancylevine) March 27, 2020
This doctor is referring to the two uninformed people who drank fish tank cleaner.
2 days after Trump says hydroxychloroquine was the “biggest game changer in the history of medicine”, a person died of chloroquine poisoning. pic.twitter.com/k3hmWQ5KGE
— Jason Westin, MD (@DrJasonWestin) March 23, 2020
Chloroquine is more toxic than hydroxychloroquine which is only toxic for 1%, so far.
“There’s very few things that make me clench up inside, and hydroxychloroquine is on the short list, because it’s so toxic.” The dangers of getting ahead of the clinical trial science and calling a drug a miracle cure: https://t.co/Cc0YNfkj0y
— John Schwartz (@jswatz) March 28, 2020
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