French President Emmanuel Macron met with him for a few hours last week at his Marseille research institute, where he received Dr. Raoul’s tour and presentation of the latest findings of his research on the new virus. Corona – contrary to the opinion of its advisers, who say that the drug’s efficacy studies are still too small to prove that it is safe and effective in treating Cubid-19 patients.
In Israel, in the meantime, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that after much efforts over the weekend, 2.4 million chloroquine pellets and many tons of raw material for self-production of the drug landed in Israel over the weekend. The massive purchase deal is signed by the Prime Minister and the head of the institution, but health ministry officials say the firm is behind the recommendation to purchase the drug – so that, if proven effective, it will have a large available stock before the global onslaught begins.
“Must say no”
On YouTube and Twitter, Dr. Raul argues that doctors and governments should use this drug extensively and not wait for serious clinical trials. His weekly YouTube updates get millions of views, and he has hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. “Some people have gone crazy with most methodology,” he said in a video message Last week, “Our goal as doctors is to improve the condition of patients.”
On the other hand, those who recommend a more cautious approach warn that the drug, which is originally used to treat malaria and some autoimmune diseases, has so far failed to prove its effectiveness in the treatment of Covid-19, and has serious and sometimes fatal side effects, especially in patients with heart problems. Jean-Paul Stahl, a French physician for infectious disease, says his phone is ringing constantly with patients seeking chloroquine. “We have to say no,” Stahl said. “It’s a matter of patient safety.” Facebook and Twitter, meanwhile, have also downplayed posts and tweets by Brazilian President Zaire Bolesnaro, claiming it was a safe drug to use.
Dr. Raul’s blatant position has earned him the attention in France. “Parry Mach” magazine has published an extensive cover article on it. Even state authorities have removed warnings about the use of the drug, saying they can be listed “in the most extreme cases.” Recommend the use of the drug early in the disease before serious damage to the patient’s lungs.
The side effects have expanded
It is an unfortunate fact that it is known that the use of this drug in the world has led to several cases of poisoning and at least one death case as a result of being approved for purchase on Pharm networks. Dr Raul says he started using hydroxychloroquine to treat patients after seeing Chinese studies that found the drug killed the new corona virus in laboratory tests. But last Thursday, Vuahan doctors who treated corona patients said there was no clear evidence that the drug was effective on their patients. On Saturday, Dr. Raul gave the drug, usually in combination with antibiotics, to more than 2,400 Corona patients. Ten of these patients died.
With the use of this drug in France, the number of adverse drug reports has also increased. Over the past two weeks, France’s “Drug Safety Monitoring Center” has received reports of more than 50 cases where Cubid-19 patients have developed serious heart problems as a result of taking the drug, according to a center source. Seven of these patients had myocardial infarction, and four died according to the center’s data. In most cases, heart problems were directly related to the use of the drug.
In the US and France, studies of the drug’s effectiveness in preventing or treating the corona virus in humans are ongoing, but the results will only be known in a few weeks or months. Public support for Dr. Raoul and his drug in France may meanwhile be explained in a survey conducted in France and published last week, according to which 63% of respondents believe that the government is overstating them. “I do not see hope from anyone else,” wrote, for example, Serge Benishu, a 55-year-old entrepreneur from Paris who started a Facebook group in honor of the doctor from Marseille.
