The American College of Rheumatology, the Lupus Foundation of America, the Arthritis Foundation and the American Academy of Dermatology have issued a joint statement calling on Vice President Mike Pence to address shortages of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, following comments from White House regarding their potential use in treating COVID-19.
“There are already shortages and there is a lot of concern from people with lupus, the lupus community and other rheumatic disease patients,” Karen Costenbader, MD, MPH, director of the lupus program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the chair of the Lupus Foundation of America’s medical-scientific advisory council, told Healio Rheumatology. “We need increased production of these medications so there is a supply that allows people already taking these medications to continue to have access, as well as for COVID-19 patients to receive them — and hopefully larger studies and trials show benefit for COVID-19.”