The hydroxychloroquine debate: a therapeutic dilemma for general practitioners

Lutaud, Romain; Scronias, Dimitri; Ward, Jeremy K.; Verger, Pierre

doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckab002

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Because therapeutic promises are generally seen as concerning mainly doctors and patients, the public reception of “new” treatments has so far received little attention in a social pharmacology perspective. The first studies on attitudes towards HCQ have focused mainly on doctors [16] . Few studies, in France or abroad, have explored the factors involved in the formation of public opinion on the efficacy of HCQ.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the public know when a scientific controversy is over? Public perceptions of hydroxychloroquine in France between April 2020 and June 2021

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives In the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, chloroquine and its derivatives such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were widely commented upon both within the scientific community and in the media. This paper explores the different factors that influenced public perceptions in France of the efficacy of HCQ as well as their evolution between April 2020 and June 2021. Methods This article draws on 5 surveys conducted among representative samples of the French population (projects COCONEL and TRACTRUST; quota method, n = 1006; 1004; 2006; 1014 and 1005). We asked questions on the effectiveness of chloroquine against COVID-19. We also collected sociodemographic variables and attitudes toward politics and science. Results Between April and June 2021, the proportion of respondents who believed in the efficacy of HCQ decreased rapidly from 35% to 14%. The proportion of respondents who believed that HCQ is ineffective rose gradually from 6% to 21%. After adjusting for the temporal effect, the logistic regression showed a very strong association between political orientation and the belief in the efficacy of HCQ. Respondents who felt closest to the more radical parties (far-right and far-left) were more likely to believe in the efficacy of HCQ than those who felt closest to the political center (O.R. 2.48 [1.95–3.15] and 1.87 [1.44–2.43]). The role of trust in the government and in science and of the degree of political engagement were investigated in the two waves conducted after the scientific consensus was established during the summer of 2020. High levels of trust in the government and in science and of politicization are associated with belief of HCQ proven inefficacy. Across the whole period, a majority of respondents were uncertain. Even in 2021, 41.5% stated that the data were insufficient to decide whether or not HCQ is effective and 25.2% stating that they did not know. Conclusion Because media coverage of scientific controversies is higher in times of uncertainty than after these controversies have died down, the publicization of therapeutic promises can have lasting consequences on attitudes towards science and medicine.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the public know when a scientific controversy is over? Public perceptions of hydroxychloroquine in France between April 2020 and June 2021

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…On the other were those who favored the repositioning of existing drugs on the grounds that they are massively available at low cost and that their safety has already been demonstrated. In the particular context of France, the controversy over the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 increased the demand for the drug, which carried the risk of adverse effects [6,7] and led to drug shortages for other indications [8]. The following question was thus brought to the forefront of public debates: Are new drugs more effective than old ones for the treatment of COVID-19?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%