WHAT MADE CHLOROQUINE AND HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SO CONTROVERSIAL DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC? By Sarah Paterson
Towards the end of 2019, a new coronavirus (COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China. Little did we know the virus would spread worldwide, causing a major pandemic and putting our healthcare services under pressure. In 2020, the seriousness of COVID-19 became clear and the search for an effective drug therapy was on. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine were among those which were highly considered. With both drugs classed as ‘safe’ and ‘reliable’ (Touret and Lamballerie, 2020), in addition to their positive in vitro antiviral activity, their potential use in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 was credible. However, shortly after clinical trials were initiated, both drugs’ benefits did not outweigh their known and potential risks and were revoked for emergency use. Although this was disappointing, clinical trials give pharmaceutical companies the opportunities to identify gaps in drug safety data, potentially leading to new and improved product labels/ leaflets, patient care and general knowledge surrounding active ingredients. Talk in the media Early in the pandemic, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine received the strong focus of public attention of all potential therapies against SARS-CoV-2. As already licensed drugs, with well-established safety profiles, in vitro antiviral activity, and existing manufacturing processes, the potential for rapid distribution and at scale seemed promising. Therefore, interest for their clinical use in the treatment of COVID-19 escalated very quickly. While numerous clinical trials were initiated including the Solidarity Trial (an international clinical trial launched by the World Health Organisation and partners), discussions in the media had already surged. In the US, President Donald Trump gave multiple press briefings and made several comments on social media regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. He referred to the drugs as ‘great malaria and powerful drugs’ and confirmed his own use of unapproved hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus infection https://www.
cnbc.com/2020/05/18/trump-says-he-takeshydroxychloroquine-to-prevent-coronavirus-infection. html. Trump unethically promoted the safety of the drugs stating ‘they have been around a long time, so they know the side effects’, ‘What do you have to lose. Take it’ thereby falsely advertising the products before clinical 8
