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Shifting Hydroxychloroquine Patterns Raise Concern

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article
1 Credit CME

The number of hydroxychloroquine prescriptions by specialists who don’t typically prescribe the drug skyrocketed after preliminary reports in March suggested potential benefits for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

CDC investigators analyzed hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine prescriptions dispensed by US retail pharmacies from January through June 2019 and during the same period in 2020. Prior to 2020, the drugs were prescribed most often by primary care physicians or specialists like rheumatologists or dermatologists for autoimmune disorders or as malaria prophylaxis.

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CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

The number of hydroxychloroquine prescriptions by specialists who don’t typically prescribe the drug skyrocketed after preliminary reports in March suggested potential benefits for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

CDC investigators analyzed hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine prescriptions dispensed by US retail pharmacies from January through June 2019 and during the same period in 2020. Prior to 2020, the drugs were prescribed most often by primary care physicians or specialists like rheumatologists or dermatologists for autoimmune disorders or as malaria prophylaxis.

However, the analysis showed that prescriptions written by specialists who don’t typically use the drugs rose to 75 569 in March 2020 from 1143 in February 2020—an 80-fold increase compared with March 2019. Among specialists who don’t routinely prescribe hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, the greatest growth in outpatient prescriptions in March 2020 was in the fields of ophthalmology, anesthesiology, and cardiology.

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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