Regulatory Action to Protect Access to Hydroxychloroquine for Approved Rheumatic Indications During COVID‐19 in New Zealand

Abstract
The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) brought into sharp focus the conundrum of how to balance evidence‐based prescribing vs empiric treatment with repurposed drugs for a pandemic with a high mortality risk. Initial attention focused on hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine due to evidence of in vitro activity against the novel coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2,1 yet the external validity of these data was limited by knowledge that in vitro antiviral activity did not equate to efficacy in randomised controlled trails (RCTs) of hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine treatment for influenza, dengue, chikungunya, and human immunodeficiency virus infection.1