WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) – Clinical trials begin today for drugs that might be helpful treating coronavirus symptoms.
Some health experts worry we may run out of their supply before we even know whether they’re successful in combating the virus.
There’s already a shortage of key drugs that might treat coronavirus symptoms and the FDA isn’t even sure if they work yet.
“What that means right now is that supply chain channels are depleted of both of these products,” Soumi Saha with Premier Inc. said.
Soumi Saha, with healthcare company Premier Inc., says demand among hospitals for the drugs hydroxy-chloroquin and chloroquine have gone up 300 and 3000 percent respectively.
These same drugs are used to treat medical conditions like arthritis or lupus.
As hospitals order them in large quantities preparing for coronavirus patients, those who need them now may suffer.
“They may have some difficulty obtaining those drugs,” Saha said.
Saha says mass producing more of these drugs won’t be easy.
The active pharmaceutical ingredients in them come from overseas.
“There may be spot shortages. We’re keeping an eye on that,” FDA Director Dr. Stephen Hahn said.
FDA Director Stephen Hahn says if the drugs can treat the coronavirus, his agency will work with the federal government to produce them quickly.
“We’re trying to increase manufacturers’ production, both domestic and international,” Hahn said.
“They’re relatively safe medications, so there’s probably no down side,” Representative Ami Bera, D-California, said.
Congressman Ami Bera is cautiously optimistic about the drug trials but he says because they’re in short supply, they should be prescribed carefully.
“If in fact we see positive results from this, we ought to prioritize the use of these medications for hospitalized patients,” Bera said.
The FDA wants these trials to be a top priority as the coronavirus continues to spread.