MONTREAL -- Toronto researchers are trying to determine if hydroxychloroquine, a medicine that has been used in the treatment and prevention of malaria for years, could also protect health workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hydroxychloroquine is a derivative of chloroquine, and it’s also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Toronto doctors Kevin Kain and Megan Landes from the Toronto General Hospital are leading a study called HERO that will involve around 2,000 frontline workers from five Toronto health facilities.
The trial will be randomized and placebo-controlled, and aims to determine if the drug can reduce the risk of infection. Interim results are expected this summer.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, information from China, Italy and France suggests that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine could prove useful in the fight against COVID-19.
Kain mentioned how vital it is to protect people on the front lines right now. In Italy, almost 20 per cent of healthcare workers were infected with the virus even though they were using personal protective equipment.
Quebec’s health institute, known by its acronym INESSS, said that thus far, data doesn’t support the use of these treatments outside of trials just yet.
In Quebec, the supply of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine is limited amid the crisis, leading health officials to regulate its distribution in pharmacies. Pharmacists are temporarily being authorized to suspend treatments for certain patients without having to inform their doctors.
For most chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine users, stopping treatment temporarily poses no threat to their health as the drugs remain in the bloodstream for a long time. Other prescriptions also help keep their diseases under control.
The goal of this drastic measure is to make sure the tablets are available in pharmacies for the three most vulnerable users: people with lupus, pregnant women, and children or adolescents with juvenile arthritis. These groups would have serious consequences if treatments were stopped due to a lack of supply.
Katelyn Thomas of CTV News contributed to this report.
