Coronavirus: Lupus sufferers facing drug shortage after spike in prescriptions for potential Covid-19 treatments

Dr Saira Sheikh says patients already are unable to receive their full prescription

A spike in prescriptions for two drugs President Donald Trump said are being tested to potentially treat coronavirus has led to shortages, with some lupus sufferers unable to access the necessary medication.

Chloroquine and its variant hydroxychloroquine experienced rapid shortages in the country starting on 9 March after early reports indicated the drugs could be used to treat Covid-19, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

During a press conference at the White House on Thursday, the president heightened the appeal of the drugs by calling them a "game-changer" in working to treat coronavirus symptoms.

"The FDA is working very hard to get it out," Mr Trump added about the drugs on Friday. "I'm not being overly optimistic or pessimistic ... I sure as hell think we've got to give it a try .. we have nothing to lose. You know the expression: What the hell do you have to lose?"

Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk boasted chloroquine on Twitter on Monday, saying it helped him when he contracted malaria.

But FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was more cautious on if the drugs could treat the respiratory illness, stating clinical trials were needed.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we'll have more information that we're really pushing hard to try to accelerate... and that will be a bridge to other therapies that will take us three to six months to develop. And this is a continuous process - there is no beginning and end," he said on Thursday.

There is no exact timeline about when the drugs will be deemed "safe and effective" for the American public to use, despite early optimism from Mr Trump that they could be used "almost immediately". But currently neither drug is approved by the FDA to treat Covid-19.

Chloroquine, which was first approved in 1949, and hydroxychloroquine, which was approved in 1955, are often prescribed to people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or to treat malaria.

Anti-inflammatory effects of the drugs and can work to treat joint inflammation and skin manifestations that lupus patients experience.

Dr Saira Sheikh - director of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Rheumatology Lupus Clinic, director of Clinical Trials Program UNC Thurston Arthritis Centre, and member of the Lupus Foundation of America’s Medical-Scientific Advisory Council - told the Independent lupus patients are already calling in about being unable to obtain their full prescription.

"Our patients are calling us non-stop because several pharmacies are limiting the number of tablets that they can fill," she said. "Some patients who were previously able to pick up a 90-day supply of medication are being restricted to a month’s supply."

Lupus patients rely on the medication daily in order to treat their symptoms and manage flare-ups.

"A shortage of this medication means that people who need it the most may not be able to access it, which could result in increased morbidity from their disease - this means worsening symptoms, flares, poor quality of life," the doctor said, adding: "and as a result increased utilization of healthcare during times when our healthcare systems are already stressed and overwhelmed because of Covid-19."

Dr Sheikh referenced the lack of trials that show hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine will have any impact on preventing Covid-19.

"There is no evidence yet to suggest that hydroxychloroquine or anti-malarials are protective or prevent against Covid-19 infections, so people who are not already taking this medication do not need to start on it now," she added. "Emerging reports for its use are only in patients for treatment of Covid-19 infections, in addition to other therapeutic modalities."

The doctor was not against the prescription drugs helping Covid-19 patients who are experiencing severe symptoms if it actually works, but advised balance during this time to make sure all patients were receiving their necessary medication.

"We are all aware that in times of a potential critical shortage of the medication, we must balance the health and needs of our lupus patients, while also being mindful of others who may be critically ill from Covid-19 infection and may need access to them,' she said.

Drug manufacturers, such as Amneal and Mylan, are working to increase production of the prescription drugs to better accommodate the needs of Americans, according Business Insider.

Despite reports of lower quantities across the US, the FDA does not list chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine as experiencing shortages in the country.