OHIO — Ohioans living with diseases like Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis won't have to worry about getting the medicine they need most. That's because Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued an executive order on Sunday to stop the stockpiling of anti-malarial drugs that are also being used to treat COVID-19 patients as part of a trial.
- Current shortage of anti-malarial drugs
- Executive puts a stop to stockpiling
- COVID-19 patients are limited to a 14-day prescription
Practicing social distancing at home, eighth grade math teacher Stacie White does what she can to manage living with Lupus. That includes taking a drug called Hydroxychloroquine, also known as Plaquenil.
When she learned that the anti-malarial drug was being used to treat COVID-19 patients, she checked her supply and then tried to get a refill.
"I tried to get a hold of, do it on my app, and it wouldn't go through. And so I called the company that I use and umm, he puts it all in and says it's really funny I can't find you, oh now I can't find that prescription,” White said.
She then learned the drug she needed most couldn't be sent to her and that it would have to be re-prescribed. When asked about her first reaction and thoughts about it all, she said, "Oh my gosh, now what? Cause here's this medicine that we use to keep our immune systems in check and it was a very selfish thought. Umm, I had this immediate need to want to make sure I had enough for a few months supply."
She called her doctor to try and get the prescription again, but admits she wasn't too happy.
"And I thought, you know Stacie, you gotta think about all those people that are out there, who this could help. You know, this is a great thing for those people. So, that's when you lose that selfish part of this, you know your response," White said.
So in the wee hours of the morning, she got up and scoured her house looking for any extra medication. To her surprise, she came up with a few months’ supply.
All the while, state health officials say reports of spikes in prescriptions and hoarding the anti-malarial medication as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak surfaced.
But after an emergency meeting on Sunday, Governor Mike Dewine issued an executive order stating that Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine could no longer be dispensed by a pharmacist or sold by a licensed distributor without a written diagnosis code from the prescriber. For patients who test positive for COVID-19, there must be confirmation of the positive results. Those patients may only get a 14-day prescription, with no refills, unless they get a new prescription.
For White, it only took a matter of 48 hours to get a prescription refill, but she said she was prepared to get an alternative drug if things would have gone another way.
"I might not know exact terms. I might not know exact drugs, but I would have known that I needed a maintenance drug to keep that immunosuppressant going," she said.
Regardless, White hopes that both those suffering from the same illness and COVID-19 will get what they need.
Health officials say the drug is promising but not a cure at this point.
The executive order issued by DeWine is in effect now to make sure there's no shortage of the drug. If the emergency rule is broken, the order states that there will be penalties.