Regulatory action to protect access to hydroxychloroquine for approved rheumatologic indications during COVID-19 in New Zealand.

The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought into sharp focus the conundrum of how to balance evidence-based prescribing vs empiric treatment with repurposed drugs for a pandemic with a high mortality risk. Initial attention focused on hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine due to evidence of in vitro activity against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2,1 yet the external validity of these data was limited by knowledge that in vitro antiviral activity did not equate to efficacy in randomised controlled trails (RCTs) of hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine treatment for influenza, dengue, chikungunya, and human immunodeficiency virus infection.1.