Health gives space to chloroquine advocates in a public hearing

Although the Conitec (Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies to the Unified Health System) rejects the use of the “Covid kit” for patients with suspected or diagnosed Covid, the Ministry of Health has prolonged the debate and gave space to advocates of drugs without efficacy in public hearing.

Experts, health professionals, patients and politicians were heard this Tuesday (28) in favor and against drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin for treatment against Covid-19.

Conitec took the decision to reject the “Covid kit” by seven votes to six. The text can be accepted or not by the Ministry of Health. The first decision on the subject is made by the secretary of Science, Technology and Strategic Inputs, Helio Angotti. If there is any dispute, it will be up to minister Marcelo Queiroga to define the position of the ministry.

According to Angotti, the request for holding the public hearing came from the Minister of Health. The idea is to gather more elements before taking a decision.

He defended evidence-based medicine that values ​​the professional’s experience.

“All collaborations are voices of society that manifest themselves and should be listened to. I would like to listen to many more people, but there are clear logistical limitations”, highlighted Angotti.

Doctors Carlos Carvalho and Maicon Falavigna, who were responsible for the opinion against the use of medicines such as chloroquine for outpatient use by light patients, explained the methodology used to produce the document.

Falavigna explained that during epidemics, when there are no effectively consolidated clinical treatments, there is a tendency to use drugs based on the results of preclinical studies, or based on observational studies with important limitations.

“Only monoclonal antibodies proved to be effective in the treatment against Covid, however they are not available in SUS”, he explained.

However, other professional deniers contested the study. Among them, the epidemiologist and professor at the Department of Community Health at the State University of Pará, Regis Bruni Andriolo.

The professional even trained the secretary of Labor Management and Education at the Ministry of Health, Mayra Pinheiro, to speak in favor of early treatment at Covid’s CPI. In the video that the leaf had access, Angotti also participated.

“The current studies, which are the best, still have problems. They all disfavor hydroxychloroquine,” he said.

Francisco Eduardo Cardoso Alves, infectious disease physician at the São Paulo State Health Secretariat, said he was invited by Angotti to speak. He advocated early treatment.

‘Only in the world of Narnia can we believe that there is no treatment for Covid. We can discuss the degrees of evidence and effectiveness of the different interventions proposed so far, whether therapeutic or prophylactic. Saying that something is ineffective is scientifically unfeasible, especially when talking about a drug like hydroxychloroquine,” he said.

as revealed to leaf, a pro-chloroquine group that includes Angotti, tried to implode the Conitec discussion before the final vote in early December.

Despite not having decision-making power, Conitec’s position represents a blow to Bolsonaro’s denial banners.

That’s because Queiroga himself triggered the commission to discuss Covid’s treatment guidelines in SUS. The idea, said the minister upon entering the government, was to pacify the issue.

Bolsonaro is an advocate of drugs like chloroquine and ivermectin. He campaigns against vaccination, masks and social distancing.