Kalispell hospital has anti-malarial drug for potential use for severe COVID-19 cases

The Kalispell Regional Medical Center cited patient confidentiality when it recently declined to comment about whether its efforts to save the life of a critically ill COVID-19 patient in late March included the use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

Lincoln County resident Jim Tomlin, 77, died March 26 from complications linked to the respiratory disease. A narrative by G. Scott Tomlin about his father’s last days reported that the medical center had tried the drug as Jim Tomlin’s condition worsened – which happened quickly.

“All we were told was that he was administered an anti-malarial drug,” Scott Tomlin said during an April 7 phone interview.

On March 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an “emergency use authorization” to permit the use of hydroxychloroquine sulfate to treat COVID-19 in certain hospitalized patients. The drug has been used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

A few anecdotal studies have suggested that the drug might have benefits in treating COVID-19’s acute respiratory symptoms. Occasionally fierce debate about its use has included differing opinions among White House officials and medical experts. President Donald Trump has repeatedly been a cheerleader for hydroxychloroquine, whereas Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading expert on infectious disease, has consistently noted the absence of full-fledged studies demonstrating the drug’s effectiveness for COVID-19.

On April 3, Fauci shared his concerns with Fox News.

“I think we’ve got to be careful that we don’t make that majestic leap to assume that this is a knockout drug. We still need to do the kinds of studies that definitively prove whether any intervention, not just this one, any intervention is truly safe and effective.”

In turn, Trump has said the drug is worth trying during a time when people are dying from COVID-19.

During an April 2 phone interview, Dr. Doug Nelson, chief medical officer for Kalispell Regional Healthcare, and Dr. Jeffrey Tjaden, the healthcare system’s infectious disease specialist, said the medical center has supplies of hydroxychloroquine on hand.

Similarly, Kate Stephens, a spokeswoman for the Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby, said the facility has the drug available if its use is indicated for treatment.

Tjaden said medications such as hydroxychloroquine would be considered for use in severe COVID-19 cases that require intensive care hospitalization and close monitoring.

Nelson noted that the jury is out about the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.

“I think it’s still true that while the use of those medications may be helpful, it’s not proven that they’re safe or beneficial in this circumstance,” he said. “The use is still under investigation.”

Dr. Michael Ackerman, a cardiologist with the Mayo Clinic, recently emphasized that the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 carries a risk for cardiac patients who are subject to life-threatening ventricular rhythm abnormalities.

“Correctly identifying which patients are most susceptible to this unwanted, tragic side effect and knowing how to safely use these medications is important in neutralizing this threat,” Ackerman said in a Mayo Clinic news release.

The FDA’s emergency use authorization observed, “Although limited scientific information is available, it is reasonable to believe that hydroxychloroquine sulfate may be effective for treatment of adults and adolescents who weigh 50 kilograms or more and are hospitalized with COVID-19 for whom a clinical trial is not available, or participation is not feasible.”