The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the company SANDOZ signed an agreement on the donation of 22,800 tablets of hydroxychloroquine sulfate. US President Donald Trump was also involved in promoting hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19, but experts quickly denied it. EPA-EFE. The president of the Chamber of Masters of Pharmacy of Sarajevo Canton told Al Jazeera that no well-known doctor will recommend hydroxychloroquine sulfate to those infected with the new Coronavirus due to the series of harmful effects that this drug can cause in such patients. "Antimalarial drugs should not be used in the treatment of Covid-19 until at least one study in the world shows their effectiveness," said Mirsad Šabaredžović, commenting on the donation of the medicine Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate that Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive in the fight against the new Coronavirus. The Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS), a non-profit organization from Charlotte, USA, also warned on Saturday that the drug Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate is not suitable for the treatment of the new Coronavirus, although it was announced as "one of the most effective drugs in the treatment of Covid-19.". In the letter, which is also signed by Adnan Begović, a specialist in pulmonary diseases and intensive care from the clinic in San Diego and a member of BHAAAS, it is stated that according to the official information published on April 25 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), no medicine is approved neither for the prevention nor for the treatment of the disease Covid-19, including hydroxychloroquine sulfate. At the same time, experts emphasize that this drug not only has no proven beneficial effect but can be very dangerous. "Hydroxychloroquine can be used in clinical trials with emphasis on possible side effects and with the clear consent of the patient/family," the BHAAAS reaction states.
The organization stated that hydroxychloroquine has been used for years to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus. The idea that the drug is potentially useful for the treatment of COVID-19 is based on laboratory experiments that have shown such a possibility. However, it still cannot be proven that this drug has a similar effect on the human body for treatment. "From March 16 to April 21, 2020, a total of seven studies were published regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine on humans. Without going into details, all studies have in common that there is no clear evidence of a positive effect or recommendation for use. On the contrary, some of these studies reported higher mortality associated with the use of this drug," according to the BHAAAS. US President Donald Trump also got involved in promoting hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19, but experts quickly denied him. At the end of March, the US FDA approved the use of these antimalarial drugs, hydroxychloroquine, and the related drug chloroquine, in the fight against the Coronavirus, but only in hospitals. US President Donald Trump called them drugs "that will change everything." "I think it could be something incredible. We need to do more studies, but I think we have very, very promising results in testing the virus," Trump said at a press conference held on March 13 at the White House. American media reported afterward, in mid-April, that some medical associations said they were against the regular use of this drug in the treatment of COVID-19. The Infectious Diseases Society of America has advised that hydroxychloroquine be restricted to clinical trials.
How was the medicine even offered to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the treatment of the new Coronavirus? The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina told Al Jazeera that the state ministry is only an intermediary between entity ministries of health and drug suppliers after entity ministries expressed the need for hydroxychloroquine. "The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the company SANDOZ (Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., a member of the Sandoz company) have signed a donation agreement by which Sandoz will donate 22,800 tablets of hydroxychloroquine sulfate to Bosnia and Herzegovina," the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced, explaining that the signing of that contract was preceded by the expressed needs of all relevant health institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and decisions on approval for the import and use of medicines and medical devices of a humanitarian nature in Bosnia and Herzegovina. "These needs were submitted by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republika Srpska, and the Department of Health and Other Services of Brčko District, BiH." SANDOZ is one of the divisions of the world-famous Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis. Novartis' website says the company has donated about 130 million doses of generic hydroxychloroquine to support the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but notes that hydroxychloroquine and the related drug chloroquine are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of Covid-19. Source: Al Jazeera
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