COVID-19 Guidelines: Canadian Medical Association Issues New Treatment Protocols That Omit Use Of Favipiravir, Lopinavir-Ritonavir, Hydroxychloroquine And Interferon-α
Source: COVID-19 Guidelines May 07, 2020 4 years, 5 months, 2 hours, 20 minutes ago
COVID-19 Guidelines: In an evidence-based guideline developed by an international team of physicians, pharmacists, researchers, and patients, published in
CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association, recommendations are presented for the treatment of COVID-19.
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/early/2020/05/04/cmaj.200648.full.pdf
Dr Zhikang Ye, Ph.D., from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues developed evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for treating patients with nonsevere and severe COVID-19.
The researchers suggest use of corticosteroids for patients with severe COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); this recommendation was based on indirect evidence.
However for patients with severe COVID-19 without ARDS, corticosteroids are not suggested. Convalescent plasma is not suggested for patients with severe COVID-19.
For patients with nonsevere COVID-19 and for those with severe COVID-19, ribavirin, umifenovir, favipiravir, lopinavir-ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, interferon-α, and interferon-β are not to be used. There is no studies that truly show or demonstrate the efficacy of these drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus or against the deadly COVID-19 disease. Furthermore most of these mentioned antiviral are highly toxic and could have adverse effects like in the case of hydroxychloroquine which could cause heart failures.
Dr Zhikang Ye commented "The enormity of the adverse health consequences of COVID-19 has understandably left clinicians and patients eager for interventions that can decrease progression, prevent mortality, and speed recover,"
She further added, “However this eagerness has perhaps contributed to overly sanguine assessments from experts, regulatory authorities, and prominent politicians regarding the potential benefits of treatments, with under appreciation of potential harms."
Canada is one of the few progressive countries where health authorities are carefully vetting through any suggested experimental drugs to be used for treating COVID-19 patients.
It is unlike countries like the US that made a blunder of making chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and even in combination with azithromycin, a lethal treatment protocol with no efficacy against COVId-19 as part of their treatment protocol while endangering the lives of thousands of Americans.
The same is also seen in certain South-Asian countries who are believiing the fraudulent studies and recommendations of China to use favipiravir as part of the treatment protocols despite studies showing no efficacy.
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