HCQ controversy: who’s lying? – 3

By Modesto P. Sa-onoy

 

Before proceeding, allow me this short comment sent by a doctor in Manila: medicine is not an absolute science. It evolves from time to time.

This note should put us in a clear perspective and consider the dangers of inflexible demand for “scientific proof”.

Let’s proceed with the article of Dr. Joel Hirschhorn. He mentioned “a large Henry Ford Hospital System study that found a mortality rate for 2,541 patients of 13.5% for HCQ alone, 20.1% for HCQ plus azithromycin, and 26.4% for neither.”

He commented with an aside that “some Americans blame President Trump for the high levels of cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. But they have more reason to blame Fauci and his pandemic of lies about HCQ. At the end of this article is a ‘political’ solution. It could make stockpiled HCQ broadly available.”

Hirschhorn also cited a Dr. Watanabe from Brazil who re-analyzed a Minnesota study that had a negative conclusion. For very early HCQ use, he found that “reduction in symptomatic outcomes is 72% after 0 days (first day of infection), 48.9% after 1 day and 29.3% after 2 days” – all compared to a placebo group. Conclusion: “Infected patients may have a large benefit if treated as early as possible.”

He declared that “clearly, many media-hyped studies saying HCQ has no benefits are not credible. Some medical journal papers were retracted.” Our readers will recall that a medical journal, The Lancet of London retracted an article it published after its attention was called about claims by the author that were false.

Another article by physician Norman Doidge, “Hydroxychloroquine: A Morality Tale” was a startling investigation, according to Hirschhorn, “into how a cheap, well-known drug (that) became a political football in the midst of a pandemic.” His conclusion: “Worldwide [HCQ] might save a million or more people before COVID is tamed.”

Some studies were poorly designed, he said. In one case “the patients were given the medication late – on average 16.6 days after the first symptoms.” These kinds of studies and at least one fraudulent report, have caused some, like Fauci and company and disciples in the Philippines, to bluntly consider HCQ as a failure.

It seems Fauci and company needed a failure to justify their arrogance and persistence to prevent the use of HCQ. Is this not immoral, even criminal?

An important study that Hirschhorn cited is “Early treatment with hydroxychloroquine: a country-based analysis.” It’s critical conclusion: The death rate from the virus in a number of nations where HCQ has been made widely available (the treatment group) is about 74% less than in those nations, including the U.S., where it has not been made available (the control group).

Many physicians and experts on viruses have published strong pro-HCQ articles, notably Dr. Harvey Risch from Yale University. I mentioned this doctor in an earlier column and Hirschhorn also referred to him. Risch “has repeatedly argued for using HCQ as the standard outpatient therapy.”

Risch’s article is for a general audience. In a medical journal article, he warned against “sitting by and letting hundreds of thousands die because we did not have the courage to act according to our rational calculations.”

Indeed, not even the courage to prevent a greater evil. Alas, this is how tyrants govern and prosper – when people lack the courage to stand up for their rights. Courage –what scarce a virtue these days!

Unfortunately, many voices including those in media, both social and mainstream, have shied away from taking up this issue. For what reasons, I cannot divine.

Hirschhorn pointed out that experienced pro-HCQ front-line doctors have appeared on Fox News shows, including Dr. Stephen Smith, Dr. Marc Siegel (whose 96-year-old father was saved with HCQ), Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Risch who noted, “We’re basically fighting a propaganda war against the medical facts” and that “75,000 to 100,000 lives will be saved” if the national HCQ stockpile were used. Fox’s Sean Hannity had also Dr. George Fareed, an early user of HCQ, on a radio show.

Indeed, the HCQ has deteriorated into a propaganda war. However, we will take a side trip tomorrow to deal with a Bacolod case, still related to our discussion. We will resume on Hirschhorn article on Monday.