Source: Le Figaro Author: Emmanuel Galiero
Thunderclap in Marseille. On Friday, Renaud Muselier angrily discovered the decision of the National Medicines Agency depriving the Mediterranean Infection University Hospital Institute of the authorization allowing him to use hydroxychloroquine. In a vitriolic letter addressed to the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, of which Le Figaro reveals the contents, the president LR of the South Paca region immediately denounced the initiative.
“ This decision is appalling in more ways than one. From Monday, the teams of this exceptional institute will no longer be able to treat patients according to the protocol applied since March 2020. Does this mean that you are choosing to deprive doctors of doing their duty, of treating their patients? “Asks Muselier, reminding the minister that the doctors of the IHU” took the Hippocratic oath like the others “and” had more than 10 years of studies like the others “.
The elected regional does not forget to mention that the professionals of the IHU are placed under the responsibility of a recognized researcher: “ They were trained in one of the best university hospitals in Europe under the leadership of one of the greatest micro-biologists in the world, Professor Didier Raoult “, he insists, reminding the doctor Olivier Véran of certain passages of the Hippocratic oath such as:” My first concern will be to restore, preserve or promote health in all its elements … ”. ” Undoubtedly, still accuses Muselier, the leaders of the ANSM have forgotten it and it is today your duty to remind them “.
In his letter, the president of the Marseille regional authority also underlines the history of the IHU and some figures for the local actions of this structure against Covid 19. “ Since the start of the crisis, 8,990 patients have been followed up in ‘IHU, of which 5,807 were treated with the Hydroxychloroquine / Azythromicine protocol, for 30 deceased patients. 155,000 people have been tested since the start of the crisis, which makes Marseille one of the largest screening sites in Europe, for the first wave “, continues Muselier in his letter, before formulating a” serious question ” : “Are you going to let this agency decide on the care provided on Monday by hospital practitioners, professors of medicine dependent on the Marseille Faculty of Medicine, appointed by the Ministry, and this in total contradiction with the fundamental principles of medicine? “
The president of the region confirmed to Le Figaro his intention to lead this fight “to the end “and did not rule out the hypothesis of an energetic reaction within the IHU itself, from Monday if things were to stay as it is.
According to the IHU, a temporary recommendation for use (RTU) was recently filed to formalize prescriptions, but it is this request that has just been refused by the Medicines Agency. ” This poses a problem for us in terms of supply “, we warn at the IHU where we cannot rule out a risk of out of stock.
“What shocks us is that while the ANSM and the Ministry of Health refuse an RTU, they are also organizing the free distribution of Remdesivir, the renal toxicity of which is well known and its effectiveness contested. We do not understand these two weights, two measures. But we will continue to fight to continue our hospital mission, ”we told the IHU.
HCQ is effective for COVID-19 when used early: analysis of 132 studies