Laguna doctor sees promise in anti-malaria medication to treat serious coronavirus cases; others aren’t sure

Laguna doctor sees promise in anti-malaria medication to treat serious coronavirus cases; others aren’t sure

Dr. Shruti Gohil, a professor of infectious diseases at UC Irvine, said hydroxychloroquine is worth studying but cautioned that there isn’t enough data yet to show its effectiveness. The university’s medical group is participating in a clinical trial of the antiviral drug remdesivir as a potential treatment. “I don’t think it [hydroxychloroquine] is a bad idea at all,” Gohil said. “I think we should look at it. But it does really have to be studied properly before it’s handed out like candy to patients. We have to be more careful.” … The risk is the medication can cause cardiac arrhythmia, Gohil said.