HCQ should not instill false confidence: ICMR

In revised advisory apex med body says use drug only for asymptomatic medics

A revised government advisory has recommended use of hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication for asymptomatic healthcare workers working in non-COVID-19 hospitals, frontline staff on surveillance duty in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel involved in coronavirus infection related activities. Tthe drug against the infection is also recommended for all asymptomatic healthcare workers and household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases. However, the council cautioned that the intake of the medicine should not instil a sense of false security.

NEW DELHI: A revised government advisory has recommended use of hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication for asymptomatic healthcare workers working in non-COVID-19 hospitals, frontline staff on surveillance duty in containment zones and paramilitary/ police personnel involved in coronavirus infection related activities.

As was mentioned in the earlier advisory, the drug against the infection is also recommended for all asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in containment and treatment of COVID-19 and household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases.

The revised advisory issued by the

ICMR, however, cautioned that the intake of the medicine should not instill a sense of false security.

The recommendation was made after the Joint Monitoring Group under the Chairmanship of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and including representatives from AIIMS, ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control, National Disaster Management Authority, WHO and experts drawn from central government hospitals reviewed the prophylactic use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the context of expanding it to healthcare and other frontline workers deployed in non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 areas.

Three new categories --- all asymptomatic healthcare workers working in non-COVID hospitals/areas of COVID hospitals/blocks, asymptomatic frontline workers such as surveillance workers deployed in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel involved in COVID-19 related activities --- have now been included.

According to the revised advisory, “at NIV, Pune, the report of the in-vitro testing of HCQ for antiviral efficacy showed reduction of infectivity and log reduction in viral RNA copy of SARsCoV2. The drug is contraindicated in persons with known case of retinopathy, hypersensitivity to HCQ and cardiac rhythm disorders,” it said.

The drug is not recommended for prophylaxis in children under 15 years of age and in pregnancy and lactation, the advisory said. Rarely the drug causes cardiovascular side effects such as cardiomyopathy and rhythm (heart rate) disorders, it said. The drug has to be given under strict supervision with an informed consent, it stated.

The National Task force for COVID-19 constituted by the ICMR reviewed the use of HCQ for prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection for high risk population based on the emerging evidence on its safety and efficacy. Of these, seven were serious case safety reports with prolongation of QT interval on ECG in three cases, it added.

Another investigation from three central government hospitals in New Delhi indicates that amongst healthcare workers involved in COVID-19 care, those on HCQ prophylaxis were less likely to develop SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to those who were not on it.

The drug is not recommended for prophylaxis in children under 15 years of age and in pregnancy and lactation