Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine Drugs For COVID-19 Coronavirus Treatment to be Studied for Safety and Efficacy

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate whether an existing drug for malaria can be used to treat the coronavirus.

Trump said that Chloroquine, which is a drug used to treat malaria and severe arthritis, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be tested as a possible COVID-19 treatment in clinical trials.

Trump added that the FDA approved “compassionate use” for a number of patients, which allows very ill patients to use drugs not yet approved by the agency for widespread use.

There are no proven therapies for the COVID-19 virus, which has rapidly grown into a pandemic. U.S. health officials say a vaccine ready for public use could take 12 to 18 months. But some scientists have said the anti-malaria drug chloroquine could be a treatment for the virus. It is important “not to provide false hope,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said at the White House’s daily press briefing on the coronavirus. But Trump has “asked us to be aggressive” and “break through exciting, life-saving treatment, and we’re doing that at the FDA,” Hahn said. The World Health Organization, however, said last month that there is “no proof” the drug is effective in treating the coronavirus.

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