He said carefully designed trials are needed to clarify the risks and benefits of these drugs alone or in combination.
Nevertheless, Dr. Warner said his findings were largely consistent with a retrospective analysis published last week in the Lancet medical journal that looked at more than 96,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19. That study found that HCQ was associated with an increased risk of death and heart rhythm problems.
ASCO Chief Medical Officer Richard Schilsky, MD, said there is “insufficient evidence to support the routine use of HCQ” to treat COVID-19 in patients who also have cancer and urged caution until more data becomes available.
Dr. Schilsky said the treatment should only be used in the context of a clinical trial, per FDA guidance. Only two of the patients in the study were taking the drug as part of a clinical trial.
“This certainly will put a degree of caution for combining those two drugs in a cancer patient receiving therapy against COVID-19,” says William Cance, MD, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society.
