The United States Food and Drug Agency has revoked the use of Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.
This was contained in a new research publication from the agency confirming that the drug had no effect on the treatment of Covid-19. The agency claims findings from a new data analysis conducted reveals trials on patients did nothing to improve their condition.
They, therefore, concluded that the benefits of using it did not outweigh the risk. Based on this finding, the IS agency has now banned the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, a similar drug, was no longer authorised to treat COVID-19 patients.
Usage of the drug spiked after US President, Donald Trump claimed that he used it and that there was nothing to lose by using it. The demand for Chloroquine also spiked in Nigeria according to research from Nairametrics.
Some Pharmacies who spoke to Nairametrics on condition of anonymity revealed that demand for chloroquine increased as Nigerians scrambled to protect themselves against the virus. Nairametrics also understands some COVID-19 patients in Nigeria take the Hydroxychloroquine for treatment.
Nigeria’s NCDC maintained it has not authorized the use of Chloroquine for treatment of COVID-19. In March, the warning came from the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu while reacting to recent media reports that suggested that chloroquine could protect people from the coronavirus disease or treat patients that are already infected with the disease.
Ihekweazu said, ”Nigerians should please remember that the use of chloroquine and its derivatives for the management of COVID-19 disease has not been validated and approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“There have been promising results by researchers but until then, the drug is not approved for use for COVID-19 treatment.
“Nigerians should know that self-medication can cause harm and lead to death.”
However, a few days later, NAFDAC ordered the manufacturing of chloroquine for an emergency stock for clinical treatment of coronavirus. Its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye said that the decision was made to toe the path of other countries that had adopted the drug for treating COVID-19.
In an interview on Channels Television on March 30th, Adeyeye noted that the clinical trials of the old antimalarial drugs would start in Lagos where the highest figures have been recorded so far.
“Lagos State will be starting a clinical trial on chloroquine to evaluate the effectiveness.
“Other researchers in France, the US have used the drug for the clinical trial treatment of COVID-19 and they reported the effectiveness of the drug,” Adeyeye said.
She also cited the US and China as countries that were also using the drug.
In a very recent publication, chloroquine was reported in a press briefing by the State Council of China, indicating that chloroquine phosphate had demonstrated marked efficacy and acceptable safety in treating COVID-19 associated pneumonia in multi-centre clinical trials conducted in China.
“The study involved 10 hospitals in Wuhan, Jingzhou, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Ningbo, and 100 patients.
“The investigators reported that Chloroquine phosphate is superior to the control in inhibiting pneumonia associated with COVID-19 and shortening the course of the disease,” the report stated.
Chloroquine was banned for use in Nigeria due to severe side effects which includes gastrointestinal upset, blurred vision, headache, and pruritis (itching).
