THREAD: One piece of non-scientific evidence that would nonetheless inform discussion on hydroxychloroquine in the proposed treatment of #COVID19 would be a survey on how widely it was already being used in U.S., Italy, and some other countries, long before current debate. 1/3

Doctors have been using it widely in U.S., often in combo with azithromycin, since very outset. They used it based on a theoretical potential for benefit, the fact that it was widely available, and a perception that side effect profile is understood so risk/reward favorable 1/2

Anyone who believes it needs to be "made available" should be assured that it is available, and has been widely used for months all around the world. If the drug combo is working its effect is probably subtle enough that only rigorous and large scale trials will tease it out 1/3

Ultimately to meaningfully impact outcomes in current crisis, and reduce the risk of future epidemics, we're going to need highly active medicines. We should be focused on getting these agents with a deliberate effort to support the leading drug candidates https://www.wsj.com/articles/bet-big-on-treatments-for-coronavirus-11586102963