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Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

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Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#191
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have in-laws in Nigeria. We just tipped them off a couple of days ago that now might be a good time to buy some Chloroquine and keep at the house, in case the situation gets worse. This is a commonly known medicine down there, that you can get from pharmacies without prescription. But based on what we're seeing so far, it seems plausible that this virus prefers cooler northern climates. So hopefully it will turn ou…

Citation needed on it preferring colder climates. My own quick glimpse of the global numbers showed plenty of equatorial cases per capita. Many aren’t rigorously tested populations, too.

I think this presentation is a great source of facts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DqfSnlaW6N3GBc5YKyBOCGPfdqO...

Weather: Maybe 10 oF increases the doubling time 2x (steady-state reduction in exterior virus levels by 50% per Pubmed 22312351, plus reducing time × concentration of people indoors).

I don't think a paper about SARS-CoV-2 and temperature has been written yet (that I've seen), but people are hoping it reacts like SARS-CoV. See here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22312351

Keep in mind, that doesn't mean zero cases in hot weather, just that it is less contagious.

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ibuprofen can be manufactured by almost any company and sold in almost any store. So open competition in the sector drives down prices. Chloroquine exists in a walled garden where pharmaceutical companies and the government have rigged it so that rent-seeking behavior is the optimal financial strategy.

Why can't Chloroquine ? Maybe there's not as much money in it, unless it requires special permissions. Does anyone know if there's a lot of supply in hand and if it can be made in large quantities fast?

The price reflects opportunity cost, there is low demand for Malaria treatment in the US. Ibuprofin is a staple drug.

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#193
post #151

> It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system ... The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$0.04. In the United States, it costs about US$5.30 per dose. [1] That's a little over 132x more expensive. Compared to other common medicines like ibuprofen ($0.04 in the developing world, $0.05 in the USA [2]), what makes…

The Lancet has published a study this week that anti-inflamatory drugs may help Ncovid penetrate cell walls and actually speed up the process. France has stopped over-the-counter sales of Ibuprofen as of mid January. https://www.afrinik.com/anti-inflammatory-drugs-can-make-cor...

Not only anti inflammatory drugs but also ACE inhibitors used to treat hypertension.

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#194

So I’m not seeing mention of this anywhere else chloroquine is being talked about. Chloroquine used to be taken daily in many of the tropical Britain colonies suffering from malaria. chloroquine in the form of quinine is where the gin and tonic drink came from. Quinine mixed with carbonated water was drunk as a prophylactic. The quinine tasted so terrible it had to be cut with something to make it tolerable - gin! Th…

From wikipedia > In the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the quinine content in tonic water to 83 ppm[3] (83 mg per liter if calculated by mass), while the daily therapeutic dose of quinine is in the range of 500–1000 mg,[4] and 10 mg/kg every eight hours for effective malaria prevention (2100 mg daily for a 70 kg adult).[5] It is often recommended as a relief for leg cramps, but medica…

I wish Douglas Adams were still around to comment on all this.

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#195
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheapish - as I recall about $300 for 90-day supply of generic hydroxychloroquine if paying cash in US. I mean, not cancer drug spends but if you are on it for life it’s an annoying annual expense.

US drug prices are pretty crazy. A random search in an internet pharmacy shows 100 tablets of 200mg hydroxychloroquine is like 30€ in Germany.

For regulatory reasons, US drug list prices are completely detached from the actual price you end up paying (assuming you do a bit of research). See e.g. https://www.goodrx.com/hydroxychloroquine ($20 for 60x200mg)

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#196
post #151

> It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system ... The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$0.04. In the United States, it costs about US$5.30 per dose. [1] That's a little over 132x more expensive. Compared to other common medicines like ibuprofen ($0.04 in the developing world, $0.05 in the USA [2]), what makes…

The Lancet has published a study this week that anti-inflamatory drugs may help Ncovid penetrate cell walls and actually speed up the process. France has stopped over-the-counter sales of Ibuprofen as of mid January. https://www.afrinik.com/anti-inflammatory-drugs-can-make-cor...

This has been disputed:

"This speculation about the safety of ACE-i or ARB treatment in relation to COVID-19 does not have a sound scientific basis or evidence to support it. Indeed, there is evidence from studies in animals suggesting that these medications might be rather protective against serious lung complications in patients with COVID-19 infection, but to date there is no data in humans.

The Council on Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology wish to highlight the lack of any evidence supporting harmful effect of ACE-I and ARB in the context of the pandemic COVID-19 outbreak.

The Council on Hypertension strongly recommend that physicians and patients should continue treatment with their usual anti-hypertensive therapy because there is no clinical or scientific evidence to suggest that treatment with ACEi or ARBs should be discontinued because of the Covid-19 infection. " [1]

There are also the brilliant MedCram updates, where the issue of ace inhibitors et. al just happened to be discussed yesterday. In it he describes the mechanics of ACE-i and ARB treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vZDVbqRhyM

[1] https://www.escardio.org/Councils/Council-on-Hypertension-(C...

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#197

When I first went backpacking in the 90s I remember people were sharing stories about really disturbing nightmares from taking Chloroquine and generally complaining about mental and emotional side-effects. Google returns a bit of corroboration but that isn't mentioned on the Wikipedia page.

Are you sure you’re not talking about Malarone? That’s the other anti-malaria drug which has very intense and emotional dreams as a side effect.

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#198
post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Lancet has published a study this week that anti-inflamatory drugs may help Ncovid penetrate cell walls and actually speed up the process. France has stopped over-the-counter sales of Ibuprofen as of mid January. https://www.afrinik.com/anti-inflammatory-drugs-can-make-cor...

This has been disputed: "This speculation about the safety of ACE-i or ARB treatment in relation to COVID-19 does not have a sound scientific basis or evidence to support it. Indeed, there is evidence from studies in animals suggesting that these medications might be rather protective against serious lung complications in patients with COVID-19 infection, but to date there is no data in humans. The Council on Hyperte…

That is not actually a refutation.

Re: Chloroquine has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of Covid-19

#199
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

where do I get chloroquine? is this something I can ask my general practitioner for?

It's commonly used for malaria. A related '-quine' is the active ingredient of Gin and Tonic.

Is this the same malaria drug that can cause depression and lead to suicidal thoughts?
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