Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, these substances prized by certain specialists to fight against the symptoms of COVID-19, should not be used by people who suffer from it, barring exceptions, ruled Sunday the National Institute of Excellence in health and social services (INESSS) of Quebec.
“Despite some encouraging results from clinical trials involving small cohorts of patients, the available data do not support widespread use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine in patients with COVID-19,” said bluntly the body in its position statement published Sunday morning.
Various small studies have looked at the effectiveness of these substances used to fight malaria, suggesting that they could be effective against COVID-19, but without bringing fully convincing results, said INESSS.
“Outside of a research protocol, use should be limited to patients whose clinical situation is severe, evaluated on a case-by-case basis, supported by an interdisciplinary committee of experts,” said INESSS.
Chloroquine is praised by Dr Didier Raoult, in France, who believes that the drug has the potential to help fight the pandemic. President Donald Trump has also touted this substance, going as far as to call it a “miracle” remedy. As for hydroxychloroquine, it is a derivative of chloroquine.
Despite what is said about chloroquine, health authorities warn against self-medication with this drug, which can be toxic in high doses.
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