By: Mark Glennon*
If you read nothing else in recent news about the fight against coronavirus, read the Newsweek column from Thursday by a leading epidemiologist at Yale University, Harvey A. Risch headlined, “The Key to Defeating COVID-19 Already Exists. We Need to Start Using It.”
It might save your life. 
“Tens of thousands of patients with COVID-19 are dying unnecessarily. Fortunately, the situation can be reversed easily and quickly,” Risch wrote, and he detailed exactly why.
It’s about the most current scientific evidence that hydroxychloroquine, also known as HCQ, is safe and effective for many COVID-19 victims when used with the right combination of other drugs, particularly for high-risk patients who are treated early.
His conclusion:
For the sake of high-risk patients, for the sake of our parents and grandparents, for the sake of the unemployed, for our economy and for our polity, especially those disproportionately affected, we must start treating immediately.
Only if you follow national news on coronavirus have you already read about Risch’s article. It has been republished elsewhere there and widely quoted.
But not in Illinois, and most Illinoisans undoubtedly are unaware of the latest science on hydroxychloroquine that Risch summarized. Most folks get their news by a cursory glance at headlines, a few chosen stories and maybe an evening local TV program.
Search Illinois media sources and you will find that almost all reporting on hydroxychloroquine is at least 45 to 60 days old. At the time, the drug was being dismissed as ineffective based on studies that have turned out to be defective, for reasons Risch describes.
Worse, on Friday the Chicago Tribune published an exceptionally dishonest and irresponsible New York Times article that claims no value in HCQ and entirely ignores the most recent scientific evidence Risch wrote about.
And the last word on HCQ from the State of Illinois was on April 19 when Governor JB Pritzker said he would not prohibit doctors from prescribing it for COVID19, but that there was no evidence that it is effective. HCQ “is being overused without a lot of testing to back it up. “I don’t disagree that it shouldn’t be used off brand unless you really know that it works and right now we just don’t know that it works,” he said.
Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health should update that to present the current research.
Another reason HCQ hasn’t been widely used are concerns earlier expressed that it could cause heart problems.
But I was recently contacted by a leading Chicago area physician and researcher, Chad Prodromos, who has found no evidence of that. He suspected that concern was unfounded based on his familiarity with HCQ, which has been widely used for decades for other purposes, so he dug into it.
The unfounded concern was costing lives, he told me, so The FOREM, a non-profit research foundation he founded, performed a thorough, systematic review of the relevant peer reviewed literature on the issue. They found no evidence of any material cardiovascular risk.
They further discovered, to their surprise, that numerous recent high quality studies have uniformly shown that HCQ is actually quite protective to the heart. A radio interview of Prodromos on his study is here.
Risch’s article also refutes cardiovascular concerns about hydroxychloroquine.
The biggest reason hydroxychloroquine has been dissed is that it has been politicized. It’s perhaps the saddest chapter yet in the politicization of science. President Trump hyped HCQ early, so many national and local pundits immediately ridiculed it. From Risch’s article:
I believe this misbegotten episode regarding hydroxychloroquine will be studied by sociologists of medicine as a classic example of how extra-scientific factors overrode clear-cut medical evidence. But for now, reality demands a clear, scientific eye on the evidence and where it points.
Look, I don’t care what you think of Trump. Cheer him if you want for promoting HCQ early, or shame him for doing so before he had the evidence for it. Just get the damn politics out of it and report the science pro and con.
And if you’re in the high risk group that may be helped by HCQ, get diagnosed fast if you think you may have the virus and consider using the drug with a doctor’s consultation.
Nor am I making any firm claims about HCQ’s efficacy or risks. That’s for the experts to sort out – and for you and your doctor if you get infected.
The sole point for now is just that The latest findings on hydroxychloroquine have not yet been told to Illinoisans, and that’s putting lives at risk.
Update 7/29/20: A major new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found HDQ to be ineffective in treating COVID-19. Prof. Risch, however, has stepped up his defense of the drug. The debate continues.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.
Listen to the War Room Pandemic with Dr. Yan who is a Whistleblower from China, she was at the P3 lab in Hong Kong. She is a Hero and Amazing. Please listen to her and what she says about covid-19 and HCQ. there is another interview with the War Room yesterday as well. this one is from Today.
War Room Pandemic Ep 308 – Science and Evidence Based
https://youtu.be/g5YC7icGOjE
War Room Pandemic Ep 304 – Live from the Freedom Summit Day Two Pt.2
https://youtu.be/u4-WvbaG54w
There will be a black market (am I allowed to use that term?) in that drug pretty soon. Probably from drug dealers in Mexico.
Dr. Stella Immanuel supports this. ?
Mark: As I have said previously here, the whole Covid 19 thing is nothing more than a scam to be exploited by the political left, that and nothing more. The below e-mail from Governing Magazine showing that the real goal of the Reds is not vote fraud by mail but rather computer–of course everyone knows that there is no such thing as computer fraud. Governing Unsubscribe To: Tue, Jul 28 at 10:02 AM As the November elections approach, state and local governments throughout the country must confront the challenges and complexities of securing elections in the age of COVID-19. Above… Read more »
Texas Doctor: Studies Claiming Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Work Are ‘Fake Science’
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/07/27/watch-texas-doctor-studies-claiming-hydroxychloroquine-does-not-work-are-fake-science/
Here’s another doctor who has treated hundreds of patients successfully.
Watch in its entirety. A growing number of voices and body of real world evidence HCQ is an effective treatment for China virus. Politicians denying effective treatments is straight up evil.
Make no mistake. This issue is about power and money. Dems want death and misery for the country hoping to acquire power and there’s no money in HCQ for pharma including the Deep State scum Fauci. That it works is why Dems are against it.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/07/27/facebook-censors-viral-video-of-doctors-capitol-hill-coronavirus-press-conference/
So why are the experts contradicting each other on HCQ. Yes, I trust it but the experts seem to be conspiring to destroy decades of infrastructure building and kill thousands in the process.
If you want to see an argument just put two lawyers in a room.
Or two scientists.
etc.
There is more grey than black and white in the world.
Noman and Mike, disagreement among the experts is OK. Chill. It’s up to us to figure it out. The best we should hope for is honest reporting about what they all say, which is all I really asked for in this article. But Mike may remind everybody that I was a lawyer.
With all due respect, it shouldnt be up to us to try and figure this out from scratch. The entire reason we have the FDA is so they can perform clinical trials and talk to doctors and get input from experts to then summarize the effectiveness of a drug and then approve it or ban it. If we cant trust the FDA then our whole system is falling down. As of July 20th the FDA does not recommend using Hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-cautions-against-use-hydroxychloroquine-or-chloroquine-covid-19-outside-hospital-setting-or
That’s a very important point. I certainly agree that we should be able to rely on the FDA to do that. Two things, however. First, the FDA just hasn’t cut it, in my opinion. They have been erattic, inconsisistent and incomplete on a number of things, in my view. (Though to repeat, I am not purporting to say their views on HCQ are wrong. I have an open mind on that as the science continues to evolve.) Second, I just don’t trust government blindly. Things get politicized. It makes mistakes. Sometimes it just lies.
FDA never endorsed masks as an effective prevention from virus’s until end of May. Maybe it is just another government bureaucracy that can’t get out of its one way
If you put 2 politicians in a room all they will do is raise tax’s. Heck just one will do the same.
HCQ works, I traveled and worked in India a few years back. The Indians use it to successfully fight malaria. November 4th 2020 HCQ will suddenly become the answer.
Major errors in the report. This is why you are suppose to have peer review in science. Newsweek is not a source of scientific information
https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwaa155/5873637
Joseph, Newsweek, of course, did not author the article. And Risch, the author, references seven additional studies done since the one criticized in your link that came to the same conclusions he did, plus the natural studies he described. Still, your link is a useful addition to the debate and I hope to see further discussion about it by experts. To both you and those agreeing with me here, I repeat what I said in the article, which is that the experts should sort this out and any individual decision should be made with a doc’s input. It’s not my… Read more »
How much money does Newsweek get from big pharma?
There are a number of doctors on YouTube who have reported great success with HCQ, Zelenko out of New York among them. Had positive results with something like over 690 out of 700 patients. Yet, all that Fauci and Bill Gates want to do is trash-talk HCQ. Why? They are not really interested in finding a treatment protocol that works, they are only interested in finding a vaccine that is patentable. So what if hundreds of thousands of needless deaths occur, as long as they can line their pockets. Digusting.
We all have to keep in mind that Fauci is a scientist, a political scientist mind you but a scientist just the same and his considered medical opinion should be given the exact same respect that you would give to any other professor of political science.
Gates has a lot in common with Fauci. A good description of him uses several of the letters in Fauci’s name, specifically the “F,U and C” usually in tandem with the word head…
What a disappointing article. Dr. Chadwick Prodromos is an Orthopedic Surgeon and is not practicing at any of our Premier Hospitals in Virology or Infectious disease. He is NOT qualified to speak about Covid19 treatments. Do you see the insane comments your article has produced? People are certainly not dying because of not having access to hydroxychloroquine. That is an irresponsible statement. In fact, hydroxychloroquine is stockpiled because it simply is not the most effective treatment and it does carry risks as all drugs do. Highly qualified Physicians are NOT choosing hydroxychloroquine because it is NOT the most effective treatment…..Articles… Read more »
Are you a Doctor? Do you have the Science and the Data like Dr./Guv./Emperor BJ has?
https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)30534-8/fulltext
Cynthia, it appears you did not read Prof. Risch’s article which this is primarily about, because you certainly have not responded in the slightest to it or the evidence he cites therein. It is he and the evidence he cites, not me, who said tens of thousands of lives may be lost needlessly. As for who is politicizing what, I suggest you read what he said. As for, me I stand by what I said, “Just get the damn politics out of it and report the science pro and con.” If you have something that responds to it beyond your… Read more »
Hydroxy was pushed without evidence. That is the main reason people are skeptical, hatred of Trump aside. Medical professionals do not care who endorses a treatment if it is successful. They don’t want their patients to die. You should stop pushing this false narrative. The evidence is still anecdotal regarding the efficacy of this treatment, but as the president said, “If you’re dying, what have you got to lose, take it.” I agree with that. As a last resort, any treatment should be tried. There are plenty of people out there who are not qualified to comment on the efficacy… Read more »
Rob, you are right that “Hydroxy was pushed without evidence.” But that was before and now there is evidence. Please read the linked article by the Yale epidemiologist. Much has changed in the last 60 days. I am not pushing a false narrative. The only narrative I pushed is that “it is for the experts to sort it out,” and there is now a genuine case to be made in favor of it that should not be ignored.
HCQ was a proven effective treatment for SARS back in 2005. Just because that particular coronavirus didn’t make it to North America then doesn’t mean it’s sensible to ignore or avoid HCQ now. It’s a pathetic display of ignorance and arrogance to refuse useful information simply because you dislike the person relaying the information.
“There are plenty of people out there who are not qualified to comment on the efficacy of treatment for anything who are pushing false narratives, and fomenting doubt, hatred, and confusion.
I think you’re a hack”-
I fully support and agree with this statement, except it should be addressed to people like You.
And you too, honey child.
I used to trade biotech stocks. Very risky and even though I researched them very thoroughly I was always baffled by the decisions made by the FDA. I finally stopped when a company I invested in did not get approved for it’s phase 3 trial. There were some people on the FDA panel that had a conflict of interest. Ultimately it did get approved and brought to market. Some congressmen had asked for an investigation of the FDA. Ever since then I put no stock in what the FDA has to say. Too much corruption and politics in the FDA.
Do you suggest this is hackery, too, Rob?
https://www.henryford.com/news/2020/07/hydro-treatment-study
All of this goes to show how politicized this truly is; the fact that people so strongly oppose evidence right in front of them — proving Mark’s point.
If you didn’t oppose Trump vehemently (and you know you do, Rob) you probably would have a mild curiosity about all this, with an open mind.
That is completely false this medication has been nothing but a victim of politics. Media come out sayings Trump had blood on his hands due to the heart damage this medication caused when the fact is it is relatively safe. It has been prescribed millions of times, yet the media knew better.
PLenty of evidence. You just aren’t aware of it. http://c19study.com
Seems to me, Cynthia, that you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder. Doctors are not infallible. And that applies to all of them. I know this from personal experience, which I will not share. They are prone to groupthink, and they are extremely risk-averse, due to a number of factors — mostly litigation and professional liability. They don’t like to do anything controversial or against the grain, especially with something so politicized like COVID-19. Also, while Mr. Glennon has backed his statements with research and references, you have not given your dear reader the same benefit. Why… Read more »
Cynthia, when the broad-based hospital and pharmaceutical community screw people with outrageous and blatant price gouging for 30 years, we tend to be a bit skeptical about what they have to say…
Here is an article for you, Cynthia: from the Henry Ford Health System. The headline is: Treatment with Hydroxychloroquine Cut Death Rate Significantly in COVID-19 Patients, Henry Ford Health System Study Shows
https://www.henryford.com/news/2020/07/hydro-treatment-study
Peer reviewed and statistically significant.
I’m still waiting to hear from you.
……Cynthia and the two people in charge of Public Health for the people of both Cook County and Illinois are PEDIATRICIANS – no wonder we are being treated like children! And how about the Director of Public Health in LA County? Doesn’t even have her MD – she has a PhD in Social WELFARE. Want to talk qualifications any further? I think Dr. Prodromos and honestly anyone with an MD behind their name should at least be heard.
And actually there are several MD’s and other people with access to it who have been using HDQ as a prophylaxis.
(https://www.sermo.com/press-releases/sermo-reports-one-quarter-of-global-physicians-agree-that-healthcare-workers-should-take-hydroxychloroquine-to-prevent-covid-19-infections-use-of-hydroxychloroquine-in-prophylaxis-and-even-in-undiag/)
Oncve HCQ is is realized as a cure for Covid-19 and used widespread , and it will be, , Trump should throw it in the face of Democrats and the Media , everyday , twice day that they killed 100K+ Ameerican becuase of their TDS , for the next five years.. And nobody should forget this, the Democrats have become a dysfunctional Death Cult.
Chrisot, don’t say it is a cure. The new claims about HDQ are only that it has meaningful impact on certain victims if applied earlier and with the correct combination of other drugs.
“Look, I don’t care what you think of Trump. Cheer him if you want for promoting HCQ early, or shame him for doing so before he had the evidence for it. Just get the damn politics out of it and report the science pro and con.” “For the sake of high-risk patients, for the sake of our parents and grandparents, for the sake of the unemployed, for our economy and for our polity, especially those disproportionately affected, we must start treating immediately.” It seems that the medical community is finally awakening to the fact that the whole Chinese Virus “crisis”… Read more »
You are vastly overstating that. The disease has killed more Americans than WWI and is serious. The new claims about HDQ are not that it is a complete cure, only that it has meaningful impact on certain victims if applied earlier and with the correct combination of other drugs.
That’s a disingenuous statement and taking things grossly out of context. The flu kills more people each year than the Korean War. Wanna get into automobile fatalities etc etc etc?
The reaction to this “pandemic” is hyper-exaggerated and ineffective, and we all know it’s political.
If there had been no Bad Orange Man in the White House, the US media would barely have reported on it, governors would have had business as usual, and most Americans wouldn’t even have noticed this “pandemic.”
“You are vastly overstating that.”
I don’t think so.
Crisis precipitates radical change and that is all this whole thing was ever about.
Now, that’s not to say that the entire medical community was involved in some kind of hoax, quite the antithesis, they responded just as they should have and now that they think that they have been made fools of, they are calling a spade a spade…
Hydroxychloroquine should be used in conjunction with zinc (approx 50-100 mg) for only a few days. Too much zinc can suppress copper and iron absorption. About 11mg per day if not ill is considered safe. Low levels of Vitamin D,magnesium,B12 which many are low in can contribute to the severity of Covid. Yet we here very little if anything about nutrient deficiencies that may contribute to being severely ill. Most in nursing home are low in many nutrients especially Vit D.
It certainly should be the first line of defense if you end up going to the hospital, BEFORE facing the ventilator. But I suspect most people are not aware of the terrible odds they face with the ventilator (10-20% of surviving) — horrible odds — take the HCQ first.
Just ask Jaír Bolsonaro about Hydroxychloroquine. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/jair-bolsonaro-holds-package-hydroxychloroquine-announces-now-coronavirus-negative/