Role of professional societies
While pharmacological societies, including the EACPT, were quick to warn about the risks of unfounded and potentially dangerous over-reaction to the initial fear of using ibuprofen or angiotensin blocking drugs in COVID (and in both cases, we were shown to be right), our voice regarding hydroxychloroquine was maybe drowned by the many louder calls for action. It is understandable that microbiologists and intensivists initially included HCQ in their guidelines. Our western society suffers from action bias; it is considered a lesser error to act and fail than to fail to act. Furthermore, we clinical pharmacologists were perceived as “commenting from the side lines”, we were not the ones bed side with critically ill patients to take care of with everyone watching. Still, our expertise and certain well-founded ”skepticism”, had we managed to have ourselves heard, could have brought valuable insight into the initial chaos.