DETROIT – According to a news release dated April 2, Henry Ford Health System will lead the first large-scale study in the United States of the effectiveness of an anti-malarial drug in preventing COVID-19 in healthcare workers and first responders who volunteer to participate.
The study of hydroxychloroquine used prophylactically could begin as early as next week, after a plea to the federal government by Detroit Mayor Michael Duggan and Metro Detroit healthcare experts.
“This is going to be the first major, a definitive study in healthcare workers and first responders of hydroxychloroquine as a preventative medication,” said the study’s organizer, Henry Ford Health System’s Dr. William W. O’Neill, a world-renowned interventional cardiologist, and researcher who has pioneered multiple treatments for heart disease. “There has been a lot of talk about this drug, but only a small, non-blinded study in Europe. We are going to change that in Metro Detroit and produce a scientific answer to the question: Does it work?”
Participation in the study is strictly on a volunteer basis. Greek-American Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of Infectious Disease for Henry Ford Health System, will oversee this study with Dr. O’Neill.
“We are glad to see Henry Ford’s lead on this volunteer study that could help protect medical workers and first responders across southeast Michigan,” Mayor Duggan said, acknowledging U.S. Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn. “I also deeply appreciate Dr. Hahn’s prompt support for this important effort.”
Both health care workers and first responders will be enrolled at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies to prevent or treat COVID-19. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, hydroxychloroquine (also known as hydroxychloroquine sulfate) is an FDA-approved arthritis medicine that also can be used to prevent or treat malaria. It is available in the United States by prescription only. The drug is sold under the brand name Plaquenil and it is also sold as a generic medicine. It is commonly used by patients with arthritis, lupus or other rheumatic conditions.
Read the full report at thenationalherald.com
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