informed Congress' Special COVID-19 Commission that hydroxychloroquine will be removed from the treatment guide for novel coronavirus patients, but ivermectin will remain on the list.
"The latest publications on hydroxychloroquine tell us that it does not seem to be useful. It will only be withdrawn from the guide for COVID-19 (treatment), it cannot be withdrawn from the request because hydroxychloroquine is a drug used in rheumatology," she reported.
Concerning ivermectin, the high-ranking official said that there is still a whole debate about this drug.
"As long as there is nothing conclusive that tells us that it does not work, we will continue to use it as it is used in other countries," she indicated.
During her virtual presentation before lawmakers, Dr. Mazzetti recalled that there is no treatment in the world against the disease yet.
"What there is, is the compassionate use of drugs in the hope that —as they reduce the viral load in the laboratory— they will help us reduce the viral load in humans; the drugs have changed over the months (...). There is no treatment for COVID-19 (yet)," she noted.
At the end of her speech, Minister Mazzetti assured that the only way to
face the pandemic is by standing united, adding that the only way to evolve to a unified health system is by all pointing in that direction.
(END) FHG/MVB