Hydroxychloroquine may cause heart disorders, cautions expert

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 1

Medical experts have warned against the indiscriminate use of antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine for the prevention or treatment of Covid as it may cause life-threatening health issues, including heart disorders and convulsions.

Safety-monitoring and critical appraisal pertaining to the adverse drug reactions (ADR) of certain antimalarial, anti-HIV, anti-influenza and antibiotic medicines being administered to Covid patients is being carried out by the Department of Pharmacology of Rohtak PGIMS as part of a national study.

“The department is among the ADR Monitoring Centres under the Pharmaco-Vigilance Programme of India (PVPI), a flagship programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare being spearheaded by the Indian Pharmacopia Commission (IPC),” says Prof (Dr) M.C.Gupta, Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Coordinator of the programme.

It may be pertinent to mention that antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine, anti-HIV drugs Lopinavir and Ritonavir, anti-inflammatory drug Oseltamivir and antibiotic drug Azithromycin are being given for prevention and/or treatment of Covid.

Dr Savita Verma, Sub-Coordinator, and Dr Rasita, Pharmaco-vigilance Associate at the ADR Monitoring Centre, have been sending weekly reports to the IPC for the preparation of a national database.

“As per the data collected by us, some of the patients who are taking Hydroxychloroquine have reported mild disorders like nausea, vomiting, headache, watery eyes and diarrhea, but the drug has the potential to cause life-threatening health issues like heart disorders and convulsions,” maintains Professor Gupta.

The medical expert cautions that if Hydoxychloroquine has to be given to a patient for prevention or treatment of Covid, it should be administered under the prescription of a competent physician after assessing the patient’s medical history, especially pertaining to heart ailment, seeing his ECG report, and in compliance with the relevant guidelines of the ICMR.

“Under no circumstances should a patient go for self-administration of Hydroxychloroquine or distress consumption of any drug falling under Schedule H or Schedule X categories as it can be detrimental to his/her health,” warns Dr Gupta.