With the recent spike in demand for hydroxychloroquine due to its promise in possibly treating COVID-19, pharmacies aren’t refilling prescriptions for people who are actively prescribed the drug for other conditions.

Hey every, health insurer Kaiser Permanente is not filling routine prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine for lupus. No warning. "Thank you for your sacrifice."https://t.co/34505q5DrF — sharon (@chu_bacca) March 25, 2020

This isn’t a joke either. A woman who suffers from lupus was informed via email that her needed medication would no longer be filled.

A 45-year-old woman, who wished to remain unnamed, that suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus explained the email she received from Kaiser Permanente. The note sent had the audacity to thank her for her “sacrifice”:

“I am already immunocompromised, and not taking this medication with likely put me into a lupus flare, making serious complications from COVID more likely. The fact that they thanked me for my ‘sacrifice’ is disturbing.”

The choice in words from the email she received left her stunned, as she didn’t make a “sacrifice.”

She was forced into a scenario based upon a decision made without her consultation:

“I never agreed to sacrifice my health and possibly my life and cannot believe that I am being forced to do so.”

I also have SLE w/Type IV nephritis. Been on it 8 years to prevent damage to my kidneys, heart & pancreas. I need it to survive. I'm still waiting to find out from my pharmacist if there's enough available to refill my script. I've also been warned the price has gone up 300% — Pedantic Jones🏳️‍🌈 (@JonesPedantic) March 21, 2020

The message sent got worse from there. It spelled out to a “T” that she wouldn’t get this medication, even if she plead with her primary care physician:

“Please do not contact your physician about an exception process to get a refill, as prescriptions will not be filled even if written by your physician.”

The justification in all this is that the email claims that the drug can remain in the body for a period of 40 days, which in theory wouldn’t create an urgent matter.

Hydroxychloroquine is now out of stock at many Bay Area pharmacies — Jeffrey Low (@JeffreyLowMD) March 21, 2020

Yet, even if she (or any other recipient of the needed medication to treat lupus) experienced any complications, the letter coldly explained that the drug still wouldn’t get delivered:

“Hydroxychloroquine does build up a level in the system that stays in the body for an average of 40 days even after the last dose is taken. If you do run out of medication and feel your condition is significantly worsening, please contact your doctor to discuss alternative treatments.”

The email attempted to end the correspondence on a note of nobility to the recipient:

“Thank you for the sacrifice you will be making for the sake of those that are critically ill; your sacrifice may actually save lives.”

Yet, the woman didn’t ask to be a proverbial sacrificial lamb.

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Kaiser Permanente’s Nancy Gin confirmed that prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine wouldn’t be filled, unless it’s related to COVID-19 or “acute lupus”:

“Kaiser Permanente, like other health care organizations across the country, has had to take steps to control the outflow of the medication to ensure access to severely sick patients, including both COVID-19 and those with acute lupus.”

Jay Forman tested positive for Coronavirus, had a 102 fever, was coughing and could barely breathe. He was deteriorating fast. After doctors gave him Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin (z-pack), he began recovering. “I’m living proof this drug works.”pic.twitter.com/XA8SJf5Feo — Michael Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) March 27, 2020

So, one might be thinking about the earlier mention of “alternative treatments” that someone who is normally prescribed the drug can consult with their doctor about. Well, Kaiser Permanente was kind enough to share what exactly that “alternative” is.

Spoiler alert, the alternative treatment is non-existent:

“Physicians and pharmacists are also working together on an evidence-based approach to identify alternative therapies for patients with lupus.”

So, in a nutshell, Kaiser Permanente is telling people to seek alternative treatment when need be, but effectively described the treatment as “Where’s Waldo” – meaning they’ve got to find it first.

The Lupus Foundation of America chimed in on the notion of “alternative treatments.”

From what the foundation said, there’s hardly such a thing:

“For many people with lupus there are no alternatives to these medications. Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine are the only methods of preventing inflammation and disease activity that can lead to pain, disability, organ damage, and other serious illness.”

This entire scenario has left the woman at the center of all this distraught and confused. She noted the irony of Kaiser Permanente’s mission statement that claims to “provide high-quality, affordable health care services” to their members:

“How is denying medication for a chronically ill, immunocompromised patient during a pandemic improving my health? I want Kaiser to follow their own mission statement and reverse the decision to withhold my medication.”

A reasonable sentiment considering her concerns and present circumstances. It raises the difficult question of why does one ailment supersede others?

Still, Kaiser Permanente swears that this drug shortage is only temporary. They noted the 40-day period of the drug’s ability to remain in the body after the final dose in relation to when they anticipate the shortage to end:

“By then, we expect the drug manufacturers to have ramped up production to meet the increased demand.”

While not an ideal situation, let’s hope the company can alleviate the shortage in that mentioned time period, for everyone’s sake.

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