Henry Ford Health System Defends Study Fauci Called 'Flawed'

DETROIT, MI — Two doctors at Henry Ford Health System penned an open letter to the scientific community defending a study on the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine that showed it was effective in lowering the death rate among patients suffering from the coronavirus.

The study was recently described as "flawed" by Dr. Anthony Fauci, a physician and immunologist who has served as a leading member of President Donald Trump's Coronavirus Task Force.

"As an early hotspot for the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen and lived its devastating effects alongside our patients and families," said Dr. Adnan Munkarah, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer and Dr. Steven Kalkanis, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer. "Perhaps that’s what makes us even more determined to rally our researchers, frontline care team members and leaders together in boldness, participating in scientific research, including clinical trials, to find the safest care and most effective treatments.

"While feeling the same sense of urgency everyone else does to recognize a simple, single remedy for COVID-19, we need to be realistic in the time it takes to fully understand the optimal therapy or combination of therapies required of a new virus we are all trying to contain."

Don't miss important updates from health and government officials on the impact of the coronavirus in Michigan. Sign up for Patch's daily newsletters and email alerts.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, hydroxychloroquine is a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)-approved arthritis medicine that also can be used to prevent or treat malaria.

The drug, which has been repeatedly referenced by President Donald Trump, has been controversial in some circles, especially following some reports of severe side effects that could be deadly to people with the coronavirus.

However, a significant study that suggested dangers stemmed from use of the drug was retracted by its authors in early June, according to The Washington Post.

The Henry Ford study, published by the health system in July, showed that treatment with the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine lowered the death rate significantly in patients hospitalized with the coronavirus.

The study examined 2,541 people hospitalized between March 10 and May 2 across the Henry Ford's six hospitals and found 13 percent of people treated with just hydroxychloroquine died compared to 26.4 percent not treated with hydroxychloroquine.

Related: Hydroxychloroquine Lowers Coronavirus Death Rate: Study

Fauci had called the study flawed in part because it was a double-blind trial study, as opposed to a randomized, placebo controlled study, The Detroit News previously reported.

The doctors defended the form of the study, arguing that the double-blind study is the "most well-accepted and definitive method to determine the efficacy of a treatment."

"However, this type of study takes a long time to design, execute and analyze," the doctors said. "Therefore, a whole scientific field exists in which scientists examine how a drug is working in the real world to get as best an answer as they can as soon as possible. These types of studies can be done much more rapidly with data that is already available, usually from medical records."

The doctors said that while difficult to analyze and as imperfect as all studies are, their recently released study should be considered as another important contribution to the study of hydroxychloroquine and the impact it can have in fighting the coronavirus.

However, they added, the political culture surrounding the virus has made that increasingly difficult.

"Unfortunately, the political climate that has persisted has made any objective discussion about this drug impossible, and we are deeply saddened by this turn of events," they said. "Our goal as scientists has solely been to report validated findings and allow the science to speak for itself, regardless of political considerations.

"To that end, we have made the heartfelt decision to have no further comment about this outside the medical community – staying focused on our core mission in the interest of our patients, our community, and our commitment to clinical and academic integrity."