Hydroxychloroquine / Plaquenil and the Covid-19 / Coronavirus

[andyguitar]

Man Dead From Taking Chloroquine Product After Trump Touts Drug For Coronavirus

How horrible.

 

[Mary]

@pattismith - COVID-19 itself causes hypokalemia in some patients so that may be the source of heart issues in previously healthy patients., Apparently giving the patients potassium takes care of this problem. So I don't think hypokalemia should be a risk factor if doctors are on top of a patient's electrolytes.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Careful with self medicating and make sure you have the right version of the drug.

I agree and there is no scenario where I would self-medicate with Chloroquine (just speaking for myself and not re: anyone else). Levaquin nearly killed me in 2010 so I am trying to gather info re: how similar or different Chloroquine is to Fluoroquinolones in the event that it is proposed by a doctor that I take it in the future.

 

[junkcrap50]

Careful with self medicating and make sure you have the right version of the drug.

Man Dead From Taking Chloroquine Product After Trump Touts Drug For Coronavirus

Man Dead From Taking Chloroquine Product After Trump Touts Drug For Coronavirus
https://www.forbes.com/sites/taraha...quine-after-trump-touts-drug-for-coronavirus/

This new is incredibly misleading and basically fake news.

He took fish aquarium grade-purity chloroquine phosphate, where 1/8 tsp = 1000mg. He took 1 tsp or 8000mg (10x malaria dose).

Also, it is NOT the same compound as the rheumatoid arthritis & malaria drug Plaquenil, which is in the news. It IS the same compound as the malaria drug but not pharmecuetical grade (meaning it could have poisonous co-ingredients) & was at a dose so far out of range almost anything (water, caffiene, etc) would be deadly at that scale.

 

[Wayne]

Levaquin nearly killed me

@Gingergrrl -- I absolutely believe you. I've been reading horror stories for many years about fluoroquinolones. The following link will take you to one of the most sobering stories I'd ever run across (if you have the fortitude after your own experience). -- My Story » CIPRO IS POISON!

 

[pattismith]

@pattismith - COVID-19 itself causes hypokalemia in some patients so that may be the source of heart issues in previously healthy patients., Apparently giving the patients potassium takes care of this problem. So I don't think hypokalemia should be a risk factor if doctors are on top of a patient's electrolytes.

yes, I read the paper you posted, I wish they are!

 

[Gingergrrl]

@valentinelynx @pattismith

I asked about Chloroquine vs. fluoroquinolones in another group that I belong to and several people posted and some think they are related but others think they are not. I Googled it again and found this:

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine belong to the quinolone family. Although their therapeutic and toxic doses differ, they are related drugs with similar clinical indications for use and similar manifestations of retinal toxicity.

The quote is from this: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1229 but it's not letting me access beyond the first paragraph.

On a side note, someone in the group replied that "Quinine" is contra-indicated for both myasthenia gravis and LEMS (Lambert-Eaton Syndrome) because it can exacerbate symptoms and I wanted to share that here in case it is relevant for anyone else.

Now I am confused where "Quinine" fits into this whole mess

 

[Gingergrrl]

I'm back and I found a British article on the development of Fluoroquinolones and they contain Quinine. This is the article:

Development of the quinolones Monique I. Andersson and Alasdair P. MacGowan* Bristol Centre for Antimicrobial Research and Evaluation, North Bristol NHS Trust and University of Bristol, Department of Medical Microbiology, Southmead Hospital, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK

and it says:

Quinolones were derived from quinine. Figure 1 shows the basic fluoroquinolone molecule or ‘pharmacore’. 1 The addition of a fluorine molecule at position 6 was one of the earliest changes to the structure.

So now my mind is racing and wondering if my neurotoxic reaction to Levaquin (a fluoroquinolone antibiotic) in 2010 was a precursor of me developing the neuromuscular weakness/LEMS autoantibodies several years later. Did I already have the autoantibodies so I was predisposed to have a toxic reaction to Levaquin or did the Levaquin trigger a chain reaction? In any case, I will not be taking Chloroquine under any circumstances and have enough info to know that it would severely injure/harm me.

I hope this info is helpful to others

 

[Wally]

Here is an interesting look at the rather clumsy two step that has been going on between President Trump and Dr. Fauci and certain media outlets re Hydroxychloroquine.

Sorry that I am not able to clip the Youtube videos I have been posting to take you right to the section of a longer video. Stuck in bed using an iPad and the websites I have used in the past to clip videos are no longer working for me. If anyone with tech skills who knows of a way to clip these videos using an iPad, I would welcome your suggestion. For now - go to minute marker 18:42 of this video to watch how hydroxychlorinqine is being tossed about in the media for what appears may be different agendas or perhaps for Trump and Fauci just different ways of looking at the two sides of a coin. As for some of the media outlets representation of this drug . . .

Also, I do understand that it is possible that as hydroxychloroquine is used over the coming days and weeks, it may not be found to be as successful in treating this virus as some doctors are now reporting. But I think for right now there is some hope for use of this drug. If this hope is later dashed because new information about the drug comes out, then I believe that it is possible for other treatments like “convalescence serum” to continue to bring hope. Maybe I am too much of an optimist (something I have had to embrace to keep in the game while trying to live with ME/CFS), but I do believe we can slow the rising curve of this illness down with a variety of tools available now or very soon, without going to the extreme of locking down the majority of our population for months into the future.

If you have a different opinion than mine or disagree with what questions, facts or ideas are raised in this linked video, let’s discuss it. But please keep the discussion civil and remember the Forum Rules, so our hard working, volunteer Moderators are not forced to mop up any lapses in adherence to Forum posting rules. . Yes, I have screwed up a time or two on the rules when I have a different view on a particular topic , so if just as a reminder to myself - here are links to the Forum Rules. https://forums.phoenixrising.me/resources/forum-rules.5/ and https://forums.phoenixrising.me/resources/forum-rules-explained.6/ .

Watch from minute marker 18:42 to 58:52 for discussion re hydroxychloroquine.

 

[Wayne]

Got this email from Chris Masterjohn today, and thought I'd post it here. If you go right to his conclusion, it's clear he's not enthusiastic about hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, and a little chagrined they're getting so much attention, when various herbs and supplements with known anti-viral properties are getting little to none.
.......................................................

Since you're on my occasional newsletter, I'm sending you the first few free research updates on my almost-daily COVID-19 newsletter. If you already know whether you'll want to keep getting these, please click one of these buttons:

• YES! I want the daily research updates.
• No, I don't want them.

If you don't click one of the buttons, I'll send you a few more, but then let you know you'll have to click the button to keep getting them. It's free, but I want to know I'm not clogging your inbox with things you don't want. Thanks for clicking!

Ok here goes...

This is the first COVID-19 research update! Actually if you look at the archive, I included a post I originally made on Facebook and Twitter the other day as the first update, but this is the first one I'm writing directly to the list.

The reason I'm interested in hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine is many people are claiming that these are effective against the coronavirus because they help bring zinc into cells, and the zinc kills the virus, and others have argued that since quercetin and EGCG do the same thing, these also would be effective for prevention or treatment of the coronavirus. If quercetin or EGCG should be effective in this way, I would want to add them to the protocol I use in The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus.

The first step, then, was to figure out if hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine are actually effective.

Chloroquine is a drug long used to treat malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is a closely related compound that has also been used to treat malaria, but more recently has been used to treat autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

More recently these drugs have been shown in vitro (in a test tube, not a living organism) to have a broad spectrum of antiviral activities. Although they have never been shown to have clear antiviral activity in humans against any virus, they have become widely used in China to treat COVID-19.

The potential of these drugs to treat COVID-19 received a lot of hype from Donald Trump recently. As a result, out of fear of the virus and hype over chloroquine, a Phoenix man and his wife drank a fish tank cleaner containing chloroquine phosphate. The man died and the wife wound up in critical care.

Is the hype deserved?

As reviewed in "Of Chloroquine and COVID-19,"

• "To date, no acute virus infection has been successfully treated by chloroquine in humans." It failed to treat flu or dengue in humans.
• For chronic viruses, the results in HIV have been inconclusive, and the results with hepatitis C have been so slight that it's never become part of a standard protocol.
• Although chloroquine has been shown to be antiviral in vitro against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, it also proved antiviral in vitro against chikungunya virus, yet acted as a proviral in living mice. This might be because it can suppress the immune system and might relate to the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for autoimmune disorders. Could it also make COVID-19 worse?
• Despite the widespread use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, there are as yet no randomized controlled trials clearly showing it is effective.

A "Systematic Review on the Efficacy and Safety of Chloroquine for the Treatment of COVID-19" suggested similar caution. The authors performed a comprehensive search for everything related to the topic and found very little that had already been published: an in vitro study, two letters, a consensus panel of Chinese experts, a Dutch national guideline, and an Italian national guideline. 23 Chinese trials had been registered, but as of March 10 when this was published, none of the data had been released.

That the expert opinion was running far ahead of the data is demonstrated in this quote from the paper:

A narrative letter by Chinese authors reported that a news briefing from the State Council of China had indicated that “Chloroquine phosphate… had demonstrated marked efficacy and acceptable safety in treating COVID-19 associated pneumonia in multicentre clinical trials conducted in China.” The authors also stated that these findings came from “more than 100 patients” included in the trials. We sought for evidence of such data in the trial registries we reviewed and found none.

As I reviewed the other day, a non-randomized French trial of hydroxychloroquine suggested the drug virologically cured 15 out of 26 people, while it nauseated one, put three in ICU, and killed one. Because it wasn't randomized, it isn't clear whether the cure or the worsening represent true effects of the drug, but if we are to regard the cure as a real effect, we also have to regard the worsening as a real effect, suggesting that if it works it might have a high risk profile.

A Chinese randomized controlled trial found no difference at all between the use of hydroxychloroquine and standard treatment. The standard treatment was bed rest, oxygen inhalation, symptomatic support, neubulized interferon, lopinavir and ritonavir (two antivirals), and, when necessary, antibacterials. The two antivirals in the standard treatment have also been shown to have no effect against another "standard treatment" in another randomized trial (hat tip to Avi for this study). In that trial, the standard care was supplemental oxygen, ventilation, antibiotic agents, vasopressor support, renal-replacement therapy, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). So, none of the antivirals did anything beyond the oxygen therapy and other support in the list.

The World Health Organization is launching a multinational set of trials testing the efficacy of interferon, chloroquine, lopinavir, and ritonavir. This should provide us with some information, but right now a lot of things are being thrown at COVID-19 with no clear evidence they are effective.

That WHO is launching this trial should also help allay rational fears that Chinese data can't be trusted. After all, China just expelled all the American journalists, so it's clear the Chinese government doesn't value transparency around the COVID-19 situation.

So, are hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine effective?

I'd bet it at 50/50 odds, at best. Hyping them as saviors is nuts.

I also find it ironic that many people will beat the "trust the experts" drum endlessly, bashing anyone suggesting nutrients or herbs could be relevant, yet vitamin D, elderberry, and garlic have all been shown to have antiviral effects in humans, yet hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not. Why do these drugs get special status just because the experts are using them with no evidence of their efficacy?

In any case, what, if anything does this say about quercetin? I'll let you know over the next couple of days.

Stay safe,
Chris


PS. If someone forwarded this to you, or you just joined the list without really knowing much about me, and you are wondering who I am or what my credentials are, you can read more about me here.

 

[Wally]

Dr. Ian Lipkin is being treated with hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) for COVID-19.

 

[pattismith]

@Wally
thank you!

this is a preprint from Dr Raoult on the IHU web site (new clinical study).
I don't think this trial shows definitive conclusion (no control?), but still put interest for this protocol (for people with no heart problem)

Clinical and microbiological effect of a combination of hydroxychloroquine and
azithromycin in 80 COVID-19 patients with at least a six-day follow up: an
observational study


Running title: Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin and COVID-19
Philippe Gautret1,2,£, Jean-Christophe Lagier1,3,$, Philippe Parola1,2, Van Thuan Hoang1,2,4,
Line Meddeb1, Jacques Sevestre1, Morgane Mailhe1, Barbara Doudier1, Camille Aubry1,
Sophie Amrane1, Piseth Seng1, Marie Hocquart1, Julie Finance5, Vera Esteves Vieira1, Hervé
Tissot Dupont1,3, Stéphane Honoré6,7, Andreas Stein1,3, Matthieu Million1,3, Philippe
Colson1,3, Bernard La Scola1,3, Véronique Veit8, Alexis Jacquier9, Jean-Claude Deharo10,
Michel Drancourt1,3, Pierre Edouard Fournier1,2, Jean-Marc Rolain1,3, Philippe Brouqui1,3,
Didier Raoult1,3*.
1IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
2Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France.
3Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, APHM, MEPHI, Marseille, France.
….

Abstract
We need an effective treatment to cure COVID-19 patients and to decrease the virus carriage
duration.
In 80 in-patients receiving a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin
we noted a clinical improvement in all but one 86 year-old patient who died, and one 74 year
old patient still in intensive care unit.
A rapid fall of nasopharyngeal viral load tested by qPCR was noted, with 83% negative at Day7, and 93% at Day8.
Virus cultures from patient respiratory samples were negative in 97.5% patients at Day5. This allowed patients to rapidly be discharge from highly contagious wards with a mean length of stay of five days. We
believe other teams should urgently evaluate this cost-effective therapeutic strategy, to both
avoid the spread of the disease and treat patients as soon as possible before severe respiratory
irreversible complications take hold.

 

[andyguitar]

and treat patients as soon as possible before severe respiratory
irreversible complications take hold.

Early treatment could be the key to this.

 

[pattismith]

@pattismith - COVID-19 itself causes hypokalemia in some patients so that may be the source of heart issues in previously healthy patients., Apparently giving the patients potassium takes care of this problem. So I don't think hypokalemia should be a risk factor if doctors are on top of a patient's electrolytes.

i think you may be interested by Pr Raoult last trial with his protocol (hydroxychloro+azithro), they checked hearts and potassium as well:

"Twelve-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) were
performed on each patient before treatment and two days after treatment began. All ECGs
were reviewed by senior cardiologists. The treatment was either not started or discontinued
when the QTc (Bazett’s formula) was > 500 ms and the risk-benefit ratio was estimated to be
between 460 and 500 ms. The treatment was not started when the ECG showed patterns
suggesting a channelopathy and the risk-benefit ratio was discussed when it showed other
significant abnormalities (i.e., pathological Q waves, left ventricular hypertrophy, left bundle
branch block). In addition, any drug potentially prolonging the QT interval was discontinued
during treatment. Symptomatic treatments, including oxygen, were added when needed. An
ionogram and verification of serum potassium levels in particular, was systematically
performed upon admission."

 

[valentinelynx]

I know that Chloroquine isn't associated with the tendon damage part, but do you think that someone who had a neurotoxic reaction to a Fluoroquinolone should avoid Chloroquine, too?

No, there is no evidence of such a link.

Levaquin (and some of the other Fluoroquinolones) is also associated retinal detachment and eye injuries

The retinal injury caused by the chloroquines is damage to the visual field (the drugs attach to the melanin in the retina). Keep in mind this takes a long time to happen, so that periodic eye exams could catch the problem in time to stop it:

"The earliest signs of toxicity include bilateral paracentral visual field changes (best detected with a red test object) and a subtle granular depigmentation of the paracentral RPE... With continued drug exposure, there is progressive development of a bilateral atrophic bull's-eye maculopathy and paracentral scotomata, which may in severe cases ultimately spread over the entire fundus, causing widespread retinal atrophy and visual loss."​

​

Retinal detachment is quite different from retinal toxicity. In fact, the FDA in 2017 released a report stating that fluoroquinolones do not cause retinal detachment (or aortic aneurysms or dissection). Whether you choose to believe the FDA is up to you... I'd check to see if any of their "friends" are invested in fluoroquinolones first.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are derived from quinine. Quinolone antibiotics (fluoroquinolones) are very distantly related by this fact:

"The family of quinolone antibiotics sprang from the discovery of nalidixic acid (1) by George Lesher and coworkers in 1962.5 The original lead compound, a 7-chloro-4-quinolone (10), was a by-product isolated from a recrystallization mother liquor during the synthesis of chloroquine. Thus, modern fluoroquinolones can trace their linage back to a serendipitous offshoot of antimalarial research."​

​

I can find no suggestion that there is any cross-reactivity between chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and quinolones. Even malaria parasites (Plasmodia) that have developed tolerance to chloroquine show no resistance to fluoroquinolones. A single epidemiological study in 2008 suggested that a rise in fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance in African villages was due to exposure to chloroquine but a later study found that FQ exposure was a more likely culprit.

@Gingergrrl — I certainly hope this is all moot. That you will never need a treatment for Covid-19 and if you do, that it is one that has been actually shown to be effective. I suspect that the reason that hydroxychloroquine is helpful is that is it suppresses immune system hyperreactivity. It appears that those who die of Covid-19 are developing cytokine-storm or sepsis. Biologics that suppress the immune system are being used and promoted in China to prevent this, such as the anti-IL-6 drug used for rheumatoid athritis Actemra.

 

[Mary]

verification of serum potassium levels in particular, was systematically
performed upon admission."

I'm hoping they verified potassium levels after treatment as well -- I would assume they would do this, though I don't know if it's safe to make this assumption. I'm not familiar at all with cardiac issues - all I know is that low potassium can cause cardiac problems, and the virus itself can cause hypokalemia.

 

[Wally]

Interview with Dr. Jeff Coyler, former Governor of Kansas, which provides some additional insight into how hydroxychlorinqine is currently being used to treat people 1) who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 2) prophylatically for people (like family members, healthcare workers) who have been exposed to someone with the illness.

Interview also included discussion about when more large scale results about effectiveness of the drug should become available - estimate is next week - one large trial is going on in Minnesota. Supplies of drug seem to be getting low, but he does not know how much is stockpiled..

[See, Post/Reply No. 20, which identified news reports from about a week ago where drug companies were donating millions of doses of the drug to the U.S. Federal Government, as well as implementing plans to ramp up production. Even if there are currently large stockpiles of the drug(s), it may take sometime for the inventory to work its way through the distribution supply chain. I imagine there is a lot of discussion, planning and negotiation happening as to how supplies will be “equitably” allocated at the federal, state and local levels (i.e. hospitalized patients and direct point of contact healthcare workers vs. prophylactic use for those not yet diagnosed or with conditions where the drug is considered imminently essential.)]

3/26/2020

 

[Gingergrrl]

No, there is no evidence of such a link.

I have a phone consult w/my doctor (our doc) early next week and will be asking him all my questions re: my treatment with Ritux in addition to questions about Chloroquine. I haven't posted more yet b/c I want to talk to him first and I am viewing everything I read on-line as anecdotal. I've asked in a private group I belong to for people w/Calcium Channel autoantibodies, LEMS, and MG and some think there is a link between the two and others think there is not. I am glad to hear you say that there is not!

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are derived from quinine.

I think this might be the reason for the link. In the CA+ Channel/ LEMS/ MG groups, they are saying that Quinine itself would be dangerous b/c it is contra-indicated in LEMS/MG and can cause adverse effects with synaptic neuromuscular disorders.

I can find no suggestion that there is any cross-reactivity between chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and quinolones.

I think the link might be the Quinine itself. I don't think there is cross-reactivity in the sense that one drug is an anti-malarial and one is an antibiotic (so they have different purposes). But it might be that people who react badly to Quinine would react badly to both. I am very curious to see what my doctors says and then I am going to post an update in my Rituximab thread.

@Gingergrrl — I certainly hope this is all moot. That you will never need a treatment for Covid-19 and if you do, that it is one that has been actually shown to be effective.

I agree and I also VERY MUCH hope that it is a moot point. But statistically if not me, someone that I know is going to get COVID-19 and ask my opinion of these meds. Of my family and friends, I am the one who knows the most medical info (from being severely ill for several years and all the 24/7 research that I did to find my doctor & treatments). I do not give medical advice but I want to be as informed as possible.

I suspect that the reason that hydroxychloroquine is helpful is that is it suppresses immune system hyperreactivity. It appears that those who die of Covid-19 are developing cytokine-storm or sepsis. Biologics that suppress the immune system are being used and promoted in China to prevent this, such as the anti-IL-6 drug used for rheumatoid athritis Actemra.

This is fascinating and thank you so much for the link to Actrema. I will post the link to Genentech (Roche in other countries) re: Rituximab, Actrema, and their general statement re: COVID. The link I am posting is their page re: COVID and they have a "Genentech Patient Resource Center" that you can call but I am certain that it would not give medical advice and would just refer you back to your own doctor.

Here is the link: https://www.gene.com/covid19

Also from that page it says this (and the bolding is mine):

On March 23, 2020, we announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial (COVACTA) in collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous Actemra® (tocilizumab) plus standard of care in hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Learn more about the COVACTA clinical trial here.

Additionally, to further support U.S. COVID-19 response efforts, Genentech will provide 10,000 vials of Actemra to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile for potential future use at the direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The company has robust business continuity and mitigation strategies in place, and current U.S. supply of Actemra for approved indications is not expected to be impacted. Genentech has also been working with distributors to manage product supply to enable both Genentech and our distribution partners to quickly fill orders to meet patient needs.

For more details, see the press release here. At present, there is very limited evidence on the safety or efficacy of Actemra in clinical treatment of COVID-19 and Actemra is not currently FDA-approved for this use. Please visit http://www.actemra.com for the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, for additional Important Safety Information.

It is also very interesting what you said re: the Cytokine Storm and that hydroxychloroquine is helpful is that in it suppresses immune system hyperreactivity. I cannot remember if I told you this but I watched an online webinar with a Neuro who said that it is possible that (IVIG and) Ritux could lead to more ability to withstand COVID and that no one should stop their current treatments.

I totally understood re: IVIG but was baffled re: Ritux since many lists consider "immuno-suppression" as a risk factor for COVID. But maybe in severe cases, the COVID is causing extreme immune system hyper-activity like you said and that meds for autoimmunity can help to tamp it down? The presentation that I watched said that "immune suppression is not an identified risk factor for severe COVID infection".

Obviously I am not a doctor and am just sharing the research as I find it (until I talk to my doctor next week).

 

[pattismith]

The presentation that I watched said that "immune suppression is not an identified risk factor for severe COVID infection".

Obviously I am not a doctor and am just sharing the research as I find it (until I talk to my doctor next week).

In the video from the South Korea Prof, he told us that immunosuppressive drugs put the patient at risk, but I cannot recall if it is a theoretical risk or something they observed really themself.
Corticosteroids themselves were considered to have a negative impact on the disease, so I stopped my own treatment.
hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have anti-inflammatory properties + antiviral + antibacterial, so it's too early to say that hydroxychloroquine immunosuppression is helping or not.

I checked my QTc, it was 417 last february and this morning it's 338 (much better!), so I wonder if I would be still a candidate for the protocol, even if I suffer with Ventricular ExtraSystoles.... (Normal QTc for a woman is inferior to 450)

 

[valentinelynx]

I don't think there is cross-reactivity in the sense that one drug is an anti-malarial and one is an antibiotic (so they have different purposes). But it might be that people who react badly to Quinine would react badly to both

I'm sorry, I should define my terms. "Cross-reactivity" means that people who react to one will not be expected to react to the other. This term is commonly used in reference to antibiotics. So, when I say there is no evidence of cross-reactivity, I mean that I have not found in medical literature any suggestion that people who have bad reactions to fluoroquinolones will also react badly to chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine.

As for my suppositions about hydroxychloroquine, I don't really know if it has anything to do with immune system damping, although it clearly does do that in helping those with autoimmune diseases. It may also be helpful for those who have milder cases if other speculation proves accurate. Lately I've been reading that a putative mechanism for hydroxychloroquine's anti-viral activity is that it acts as a "zinc ionophore" (it brings zinc into cells) and that zinc has been shown to have anti-viral activity. This speculation appear to be largely based on two papers: one from 2014 (Chloroquine is a Zinc Ionophore) that showed that chloroquine and presumable by extension, hydroxychloroquine, acts as a zinc ionophore in a line of human ovarian cancer cells (and has anti-cancer activity) and the other one from 2010 which showed "...that the zinc-ionophore pyrithione (PT) in combination with Zn2+ is a potent inhibitor of the replication of SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and equine arteritis virus (EAV) in cell culture." Substitute hydroxychloroquine as the ionophore and you have current supposition on a possible mechanism whereby it might work against Covid-19. Keep in mind that this has yet to be shown in vivo.

I used to use zinc lozenges to shorten colds years ago when I got colds. I recall reading that it had been shown to have actual anti-viral activity, unlike many things people use (echinacea, for example). I found this essay on zinc lozenges and coronavirus that nicely separates fact from rumor: Can Zinc Lozenges Help with Coronavirus Infections?