Govt expands use of anti-malaria drug to curb transmission

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...recommended the prophylactic use of HCQ in all asymptomatic health care workers... Asymptomatic frontline workers... and contacts of confirmed cases GOVERNMENT ADVISORY

NEW DELHI: Even as medical journal The Lancet published a paper on Friday saying there were no confirmed benefits of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine being given to Covid-19 patients, the Union health ministry issued an advisory expanding the pool of people to be given the medicine as a prophylactic to prevent them from contracting the infection.

“The Joint Monitoring Group and National Task Force have now recommended the prophylactic use of HCQ in the following categories: a) all asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in containment and treatment of COVID-19 and asymptomatic healthcare workers working in non-COVID hospitals/nonCOVID areas of COVID hospitals/blocks; b) Asymptomatic frontline workers, such as surveillance workers deployed in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel involved in COVID-19 related activities; and c) Asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases,” the advisory said.

The earlier HCQ advisory on March 23 cleared its prophylactic use for two high-risk groups: asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases, and asymptomatic household contacts of confirmed cases.

“As a prophylactic drug, the medicine has shown results in India which is why it is advised for a larger group now. The Lancet paper that has come out will have implications for treatment regimen not prophylaxis,” said an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) official, who did not wish to be identified.

ICMR began a ‘demonstration study’ on the efficacy of HCQ as a prophylactic medicine against Covid-19 in March to see if it will prevent people, especially those in close proximity with a positive case from acquiring the infection.

The Joint Monitoring Group under the chairmanship of Directorate General of Health Services, the government of India, and representatives from AIIMS, ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control, etc reviewed HCQ’s prophylactic use in the context of expanding it to healthcare and other frontline workers.

“At National Institute of Virology, Pune, the report of the in-vitro testing of HCQ for antiviral efficacy showed reduction of infectivity/log reduction in viral RNA copy of SARs-CoV2,” said the health ministry document.

Experts have also said the medicine must not be given to patients suffering from heart diseases, hypersensitivity etc. The drug is also not recommended for children under 15 years of age, pregnant and lactating women.

Doctors feel more evidence is required before confidence in the drug can be reinstated.

“We are not giving it now as enthusiastically ... We will have to look into all aspects of the evidence available,” said Dr Yatin Mehta, a critical care specialist at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital.