Vital drugs for immunosuppressed patients are in short supply as more members of the public attempt to obtain treatment for the coronavirus.
The drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, have witnessed increased demand after President Trump referred to them as “game-changers” during a White House press conference last week, requiring states to limit prescriptions for the medicines.
“Everybody knows the level of the negatives and positives, but I will say that I am positive when it comes to particularly one of these drugs. We’ll see how it works. I am not saying it will, but I think that people may be surprised. It is a game-changer. We’ll know very soon,” the president said at the time.
However, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said more evidence was required before classifying the drugs as “safe” for those diagnosed with COVID-19.
“What we don’t know … is whether it’s safe. I like to prove things first,” Fauci said.
Pharmacy boards in Texas, Ohio, Idaho, and Nevada have since taken steps to limit prescriptions of the drugs, so those suffering from malaria or facing inflammation issues related to lupus and arthritis can obtain treatment for their conditions.
“When I think about the other people out there with lupus and other autoimmune disorders, we’re all really scared right now. I haven’t left my house in nine days. I’m working completely remotely,” lupus patient Anna Valdez told ProPublica. “If I get coronavirus, unlike someone else my age, almost 50 years old, who is likely to recover and will be fine, I will likely end up in the ICU.”
COVID-19 cases have appeared in every continent except Antarctica. Nearly 372,500 people have tested positive for the coronavirus around the world, and at least 16,000 have died from it. In the United States, more than 41,700 people have the coronavirus, leading to at least 573 deaths. The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic nearly two weeks ago. More than 100,000 people worldwide have recovered from the illness.
