Chloroquine has officially been sanctioned by the French government for treatment of the SARS COVID-19 infection after 78 out of 80 patients recovered within 5 days.
Chloroquine and its variant hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is commonly used by Lupus patients and those with other Systemic Autoimmune Diseases. It has also been used to treat Malaria.
France’s Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, said patients who are reliant on the drug will not be shorted:
“This ensures continued treatment of patients who have been treated for several years for a chronic condition with this drug, but also allows a temporary authorization to allow certain patients with coronavirus to benefit from this therapeutic route.”
The trial was run by renowned French doctor Didier Raoult, who specializes in infectious diseases, the 5 day recovery period after administering the chloroquine shows a much faster recovery period than the 14 to 28 days that it takes most people to recover.
French Minister of Health Olivier Véran said doctors can begin prescribing chloroquine for both hospital and home usage:
“Hydroxychloroquine and the combination of lopinavir/ritonavir may be prescribed, dispensed and administered under the responsibility of a doctor to patients affected by COVID-19, in the healthcare establishments which take charge of them, as well as for the continuation of their treatment if their condition allows it and with the authorization of the initial prescriber, at home.”
In the U.S. there were many concerns, especially from Lupus patients who depend on taking the drug daily, that there would be a shortage. Thankfully, in NY where the drug is currently being tested on COVID-19 patients, Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an executive order:
“No pharmacist shall dispense hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine except when written as prescribed for an FDA-approved indication; or as part of a state-approved clinical trial related to COVID-19 for a patient who has tested positive for COVID-19, with such test result documented as part of the prescription. No other experimental or prophylactic use shall be permitted, and any permitted prescription is limited to one fourteen-day prescription with no refills.”
With these highly successful results in France, it should be expected this treatment will soon be used worldwide. With all the talk by U.S. President Donald Trump and others surrounding the drug, companies starting increasing production last week.
Drugmakers Novartis, Teva, and Bayer all announced they will be donating millions of doses globally, and another manufacturer Mylan also said they will scale up production. Novartis said they will be donating 130 million doses within the next month. Teva will donate 16 million and Bayer 3 million doses.
Stephen Hahn the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. said the agency is aware of the additional demand and they will “engage with domestic manufacturers to ramp up production of this product to mitigate any potential supply chain pressures.” He goes on to say:
“We will take all steps to ensure chloroquine remains available for patients who take it to treat severe and life-threatening illnesses such as Lupus.”
Given the success that France has shown with their treatments, I would not be surprised if in the U.S. President Trump doesn’t demand drug companies to mass-produce the drug, similar to the order he put on GM to produce ventilators.
