Chloroquine – Coronavirus Drug, an Effective Treatment says FDA?

Coronavirus requires no introduction now as it has bought the whole world to a standstill. People across the world are now waiting for some kind of miracle anti-coronavirus drug.

And hopefully the drug for coronavirus is finally coming out to be true now as the the United States has approved the use of chloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, against the new coronavirus, which “has shown very encouraging preliminary results,” President Donald Trump announced on 19 March 2020.

“We have passed a law defending a patient’s right to try a medicine,” he added at the press conference, accompanied by US Vice President Mike Pence and Dr Stephen Hahn, head of the US Food and Drug Administration.

“We will be able to make this drug available almost immediately,” the president said at the White House, assuring that this treatment could “change the rules of the game” in the face of the pandemic. “It’s been through the approval process, it’s been approved,” Trump said.

About Chloroquine

Chloroquine – and its derivative hydroxychloroquine – is an anti-malarial drug that has been used effectively in the prevention and treatment of malaria since it was first marketed in 1945.

Because chloroquine is a very cheap, accessible and highly effective drug, its prolonged and massive use in many countries of the world has led to the emergence of resistant strains of the parasite.

Chloroquine – Tested in China in Feb 2020

The article published by NCBI February 19 draws its conclusions from a clinical trial conducted in China to evaluate “the efficacy of chloroquine in treatments associated with COVID-19.

“The results obtained so far with more than 100 patients have shown that chloroquine phosphate is more effective than the treatment received by the comparison group in containing the evolution of pneumonia, improving the condition of the lungs, so that the patient returns negative for the virus and shortening the duration of the illness,” the Chinese researchers say.

“The antiviral and anti-inflammatory capacity of chloroquine could have a potential efficacy in treating patients affected by COVID-19 pneumonia,” continues the article on the study by Professors Jianjun Gao, Zhenxue Tian and Xu Yang, from Qingdao University and Qingdao Hospital.

Other Coronavirus Drugs being used in Clinical Trials

Several drugs apart from chloroquine such as arbidol, remdesivir, and favipiravir are currently undergoing clinical studies to test their efficacy and safety in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China, according to NCBI.

History of Chloroquine

Following the emergence and spread of SARS-Cov-2 viruses in China and South Korea, several studies have proposed hydroxychloroquine as an effective antiviral therapeutic treatment for IDOC-19. There are more than 23 clinical trials in China alone, and some results are already being made public.

In China, its use in tablet form is showing favourable results in humans infected with the Coronavirus. This includes a faster recovery time and a shorter hospital stay.

Previous research at the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests that chloroquine would have great potential as a preventive measure against coronavirus in the laboratory.

It appears that this drug would inhibit the entry of the virus into the cell and also acts against its proliferation once inside.

According to the few existing studies, chloroquine would block virus infection by increasing the endosomal pH required for virus-cell fusion, as well as interfering with the glycosylation of SARS-CoV2 cell receptors. This has been shown in cells under in vitro conditions using a clinical isolate of the virus, and is still preliminary.

Chloroquine, used to treat malaria, is one of many molecules scientists have tested to try to contain the coronavirus epidemic. Despite signs of efficacy, international health authorities have not yet validated any treatment against the new coronavirus with chloroquine.

We will certainly see the results of the clinical trials in the coming weeks. And hope that this drug will beat Coronavirus.