In an open letter, 32 physicians and health professionals from across India, Canada and the United States have appealed to the center, state governments, the Indian Medical Association and medical professionals to discourage the use of drugs and diagnostics for which there is no supporting evidence the treatment gives of Covid-19.
“Although much uncertainty remains in light of the outbreak of this novel disease, there is now substantial, high-quality scientific literature that provides clear guidance for the clinical management of Covid-19. Despite the weight of this evidence and the staggering death toll of the delta wave, we find that the failures of the 2021 response will be repeated in 2022,” the doctors wrote in the letter.
These “mistakes” include prescribing drugs such as vitamin combinations, azithromycin, doxycycline, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and ivermectin, which are supported by limited evidence that they are effective against Covid-19.
“Such wanton drug use is not without harm, as the Delta Wave has shown. Outbreaks of opportunistic fungal infections such as mucormycosis in India and aspergillosis in Brazil have been attributed to widespread misuse of inappropriate drugs,” the letter said.
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Doctors also spoke out against recommending unnecessary CT scans, D-dimer and IL-6 lab tests even in asymptomatic or mild cases, and hospitalizing Covid patients without clinical justification.
Such practices not only place an undue financial burden on patients and their families, but also risk “the lives of hundreds of thousands of other non-Covid patients who are unable to find hospital beds for more pressing medical conditions.”
The letter noted that health workers in India rely heavily on government policies, which have unfortunately encouraged expensive diagnostics and drugs with limited evidence. The public and medical community are also exposed to gross misinformation on social media.
“Update of the evidence-based DGHS guidelines from June 2021. Provide specific guidance on the use of monoclonal antibodies, especially given their limited efficacy for the Omicron variant and their continued widespread use,” the physicians requested.
They also called on the government to formulate and publish home care guidelines for rapid testing, quarantine, isolation and release in all national languages.
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Government-sponsored advertising or distribution of drugs, cocktails, alternative therapies or potions that are not scientifically proven therapies should be banned, they said.
Doctors said it was up to government agencies and medical societies to put an end to this sham in the nation’s best interests.
The authors of the letter include Dr. Zarir Udwadia from PD Hinduja National Hospital, Dr. Richa Gupta from the Christian Medical College, Dr. Arvind Kumar of Medanta Gurugram, Dr. Raghuraj Hegde from Manipal Hospital, Dr. Satchit Balsari of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Manoj Mohanan from Duke University, Dr. Mayo Clinic’s Priya Sampathkumar and Dr. Bhavna Seth of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
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