Remdesivir vs. HCQ
While one drug is being enthusiastically pushed, the other is blocked on social media, erased from a private website, and anyone who speaks out about it faces intense personal attacks unrelated to the drug’s effectiveness.
The first drug is Remdesivir. The company Gilead Sciences is charging private insurance companies 520 dollars per dose for the new brand drug. The company recommends a range of between 6-11 doses, which means the per-person treatment can cost as much as 5,720 dollars for the drug alone.
Already the U.S. government has spent more than 1 billion of your tax dollars to buy 500,000 treatments of Remdesivir.
In contrast, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) usually costs around 10 dollars for a treatment and it can be produced generically by many different providers.
Which drug would you prefer?
Keep in mind that the first drug, Remdesivir, had zero impact to decrease the number of deaths from COVID-19 – it merely shortens the recovery time and thus the length of stay in the hospital after a patient has already turned the corner.
The second drug, HCQ, cut the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in half. It has been shown to be very effective during the early stages of COVID.
Which drug would you prefer?
Remdesivir reported serious adverse effects in 1 in 5 patients. The reaction was so severe that 12% of patients had to discontinue the drug. Complications included hypoalbuminemia, hypokalemia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, constipation, and increased total bilirubin.
If taking the proper dose, the most severe side effects of HCQ are some diarrhea and occasional nausea (which can be mitigated by taking it with food).
Which drug would you prefer?