TY - JOUR T1 - Hydroxychloroquine shortages among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO - Ann Rheum Dis SP - 1 LP - 2 DO - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218164 VL - 80 IS - 2 AU - Arielle Mendel AU - Sasha Bernatsky AU - Anca Askanase AU - Sang-Cheol Bae AU - Ann Elaine Clarke AU - Nathalie Costedoat-Chalumeau AU - Dafna D Gladman AU - Caroline Gordon AU - John Hanly AU - Søren Jacobsen AU - Ken Kalunian AU - Anselm Mak AU - Marta Mosca AU - Bernardo A Pons-Estel AU - Guillermo Ruiz-Irastorza AU - Murray Urowitz AU - Évelyne Vinet Y1 - 2021/02/01 UR - http://ard.bmj.com/content/80/2/1.1.abstract N2 - Early scientific and public enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a potential therapy for COVID-19 has prompted over 100 registered trials to date, although its efficacy remains to be demonstrated.1 Unfortunately, accelerated demand for HCQ has the potential to diminish supplies for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is worrisome due to the known risks of SLE flare after HCQ withdrawal.2 We previously reported that rheumatologists in most Canadian provinces observed HCQ shortages early in the COVID-19 pandemic.3 However, data are lacking on the global experience with HCQ access during the pandemic, specifically in SLE.On 4 May 2020, we distributed an electronic survey to the 42 Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) members affiliated with SLE referral centres (https://sliccgroup.org), with reminders after 1 and 3 weeks. Physicians were asked about experiences with HCQ shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they had been contacted by patients and/or pharmacists regarding difficulties accessing HCQ. Physicians who answered ‘yes’ to the latter question were asked to estimate how many and what proportion … ER -