top of page
Search

Doctors Join Pennacchio’s Call to Use Hydroxychloroquine to Combat Spread of COVID-19



STATEMENT FROM N.J. STATE SENATOR JOE PENNACCHIO

GOVERNMENT SHOULD FOCUS ON USING HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE AS A LARGE SCALE EARLY TREATMENT FOR COVID-19


March 22, 2020 – A recent French peer review study by renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Didier Raoult which was published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents showed promising results in the treatment of COVID-19 with Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). The French study also showed a significant decrease in “viral shedding,” from patients treated with HCQ. The lower the shedding, the less likelihood that the virus can be communicated to other individuals. https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/French-researcher-in-Marseille-posts-successful-Covid-19-coronavirus-drug-trial-results As the medical profession evaluates different treatment options, public health officials should adopt early treatment measures with the existing tools at our disposal. HCQ is an inexpensive, safe drug that has been used in the treatment of malaria for seventy years. With no vaccine or antiviral in place, HCQ is the lead candidate for early treatment against the COVID-19 virus. This was the conclusion of a recent medical paper written by Dr. Raymond Chang whose affiliations include the Institute of East-West Medicine in New York and the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan. https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202003.0279/v1


HCQ has the ability to prevent the virus from entering the cell, as well as to prevent the virus from replicating. HCQ has the unique factor of being able to accumulate high concentrations in the lungs (specifically where it is needed). What is also appealing is the long duration (22 day half-life) of HCQ in the body. These factors make it promising for early treatment if ingested days before the virus is introduced. https://tansan.com.tr/a-possible-role-for-single-dose-hydroxychloroquine-for-prevention-of-lethal-coronavirus-infection/


Worldwide reaction to the virus has been one of containment through isolation and social distancing. The objective of early treatment is to decrease the time of isolation and social distancing. The longer the isolation the more devastating the affects on our lives. A nationwide program of early treatment with HCQ, along with concurrent isolation may reap exponential benefits. The existing record of HCQ, its promise of efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 and low costs make the risk to benefit ratio well worth the effort.


Federal and State governments should immediately direct public policy towards increasing production, storage and establishing a distribution protocol and regimen for HCQ to ameliorate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This was the conclusion reached by U.S. academic studies in response to French infectious disease specialist Dr. Raoult’s peer review study, saying HCQ has a strong potential as a prophylactic measure against the severity of COVID-19. https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/French-researcher-in-Marseille-posts-successful-Covid-19-coronavirus-drug-trial-results


We the undersigned agree with New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio that all levels of government should work together to ameliorate the COVID-19 pandemic by developing an early treatment to minimize the effects of the virus and reduce its communicability by decreasing viral shedding with the use of Hydroxychloroquine:

Anika Ackerman MD

Urology

Joseph Addeo MD

Oncology

Munir Ahmed MD

Orthopedics

Niran Al-Agba DO

Pediatrics

Frank Alario MD

Internal Medicine

Sharon Carswell MD

Family Medicine

Kimberly Corba MD

Family Medicine

Doug Crane MD

Internal Medicine

Madeline Danny DO

Family Medicine

Philip DeFina PhD

Neuroscientist Clinical Research

US ARMY Intel

Anthony Dippolito MD

MBA General & Colorectal Surgeon

John Eck MD

Family Medicine

Josephine Feingold MD

Emergency Medicine

Ken Fisher MD

Family Medicine

Chris Garofalo MD

Family Medicine

David Gee MD

Family Medicine

Helen Gelhot MD

General Surgery

Eric Gerwirtz MD

Anesthesiology

Yvette Gozzo MD

Pulmonology

Karladine Graves DO

Family Medicine

Wayne Graves DO

Emergency Medicine

Lee Gross MD

Family Medicine

Avinash Gupta MD

Cardiology

James Halper MD

Neuropsychiatry & Internal Medicine

Scott Hardiman MD

Otolaryngology

Kris Held MD

Ophthalmology

Travis Hendricks MD

Infectious Disease

Bindukumar Kansupada MD

Cardiology

Cameron Knackstedt DO

Family Medicine

Herbert Kunkle, Jr MD

Orthopedic Surgery

Steve Kupferburg MD

Otolaryngology

Lee Kurisko MD

Radiology

Guru Lamba MD

Hematology Oncology

Katarina Lindley DO

Family Medicine

Jennifer Lorine DO

Family Medicine/Neuromuscular Med OMT

Lee Merritt MD

General Surgery, US Navy

Winslow Murdoch MD

Family Medicine

Katherine Newland MD

Emergency Medicine

Lisa Norberg DO

Family Medicine

Fred Notarnicola MD

Internal Medicine

Sheila Page DO

Neuromuscular & Skeletal, AAPS President Texas

Kirit Kumar Pandya MD

Urology

Prashant Parikh MD

Primary Care

Philip Pattison MD

Gastroenterology

Danae Powers MD

Anesthesiology

Lee Pressler MD

Urology

Samuel Putnam MD

Interventional Radiology, US Army Flight Surgeon

Raj Raval MD

Physiatrist, Interventional Pain

Luis Rodriguez Jr MD

Interventional Radiology

Scott Roethle MD

Anesthesiology

Sohayla Rostami DO

General Surgery Resident

James Rowsey MD

Ophthalmology

Christine Saba PharmD MD

Pediatrics

Vinod Sanchetti MD

Internal Medicine

Nikki Silverstein MD

Ophthalmology

Marilyn Singleton MD JD

Anesthesiology

Pat Smith MD

Gynecology

Reed Smith MD

Internal Medicine

Douglas Spiel MD

Interventional Pain Radiology

Joel Strom DDS

Dentist

James Thomas MD MBA

Interventional Radiology, Naval Flight Surgeon

Teresa Thomas MD

Internal Medicine

Josh Umber MD

Family Medicine

Kip VanCamp DO

Interventional Radiology

Craig Wax DO

Family Medicine

Vicki Wooll MD MPH

Family Medicine, Epidemiology

Marlene Wust-Smith MD

Pediatrics


###

Comments


bottom of page