Role of professional societies
While pharmacological societies, including the EACPT, were quick to warn
about the risks of unfounded and potentially dangerous over-reaction to
the initial fear of using ibuprofen or angiotensin blocking drugs in
COVID (and in both cases, we were shown to be right), our voice
regarding hydroxychloroquine was maybe drowned by the many louder calls
for action. It is understandable that microbiologists and intensivists
initially included HCQ in their guidelines. Our western society suffers
from action bias; it is considered a lesser error to act and fail than
to fail to act. Furthermore, we clinical pharmacologists were perceived
as “commenting from the side lines”, we were not the ones bed side
with critically ill patients to take care of with everyone watching.
Still, our expertise and certain well-founded ”skepticism”, had we
managed to have ourselves heard, could have brought valuable insight
into the initial chaos.