HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE DRUG SAFETY REVIEW FOR THE PROPHYLAXIS OF SARS COV 2 PANDEMIC

COVID19 outbreak, originated from Wuhan, china is now declared as pandemic by WHO. HCQ has got special attention after various advisories are being issued by health authorities to utilize it for the prophylaxis of SARS COV2. Therefore, drug safety evaluation based on its pharmacokinetic & pharmacodynamics parameters & literature rationale for Evidence Based Medicine is required for its justification to be utilize effectively in the COVID19 Pandemic. We have reviewed literature of HCQ antiviral properties, ADRs, Drug Interactions on PubMed, Google Scholar, CDC database etc. Based on the gathered evidences we have performed Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Risk vs. Benefit Analysis to justify HCQ utilization in SARS COV 2 through U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines. Adverse drug reactions & toxicities such as retinopathy & cardiotoxicity due to HCQ are dose dependent and preventable in nature. HCQ has a potency to combat the disease. Further confirmations are awaited by more clinical trials and their meta-analysis results. It has proven to be effective in inhibiting the viral entry into the cell membrane & decreasing the viral duration of SARS COV 2 in cell culture as well in RCT. In this hour of great disaster where no other safe option appears to be much effective, we conclude that HCQ prophylactic and therapeutic benefits against COVID19 epidemic outweighs the potential risks of adverse drug reactions, which are preventable in nature. For desired therapeutic response, careful monitoring is advised.