Originally Posted by
dawg80
The NIH does not offer a recommendation for or against the use. It states "patients being treated with HCQ for C-19 treatment should be monitored." Ya think!?
Now, "the panel" did issue a recommendation against the use of HCQ. The panel is composed of pharma-funded researchers. Hello! you think they are going to recommend a generic drug that won't make their sponsors $mega-millions!? Hell no!
It's also disingenuous to say there have been no "clinical studies." There haven't been in the truest definition of the term, because, obviously, there hasn't been time nor the luxury of a non-emergency environment of setting up a "clinical study." But! such as the 1,000-patient study conducted in France, with incredible results, and now over 400 other "studies" to create a volume of data that can be analyzed. Some of these "studies" are better than others. One study I glanced at, listed on the NIH website, treated just 19 patients, all hand-picked as to demographic stats (age, etc...). Obviously very limited, but it did have "positive" results for that "test" group. By itself it doesn't mean much of anything. Taken with the overall results from the other 400+ "studies" it contributes to the consensus that there is something to the use of HCQ for the treatment of C-19.
BTW, that French doctor who spearheaded the 1,000-patient study wrote a stinging rebuttal of the VA "study." Perhaps not surprisingly, given his self-professed position on the matter. But his rebuttal does include a scientific analysis of the VA report and why it should be disregarded. I glanced at it, but such medical terminology and scientific methodology is above my pay-grade.
For me...IDK. I, at first, accepted at face value the VA "study." I had no reason not to. I even defended its results by offering even if it fell short of a "study" it was still an observation of some results and should be included in the wealth of information being gathered. Then I saw a whole lot more about it and now think the methodology was skewed toward "making" HCQ fail as a treatment for C-19.
I still don't "know" much. None of us do. Even those actively engaged in the research don't know as much as they need to, and will know, eventually.