BBC :
Drugs normally used to treat malaria, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, have been touted as potential treatments for coronavirus.
The treatments have been promoted and used by some world leaders, but concerns have been raised about their safety and efficacy.
We’ve looked at what we know so far about these drugs.
Why have these drugs gained prominence?
US President Donald Trump revealed in May that he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against Covid-19, but then said he’d stopped.
Mr Trump has repeatedly referred to its potential. At a press conference in April, he said: “What do you have to lose? Take it.”
President Bukele of El Salvador has said he and “other world leaders” were also taking it.
And Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed in a video that “hydroxychloroquine is working in all places.” But that was removed
by Facebook for breaching its misinformation guidelines.
Following Mr Trump’s comments, there was a sharp increase reported in prescriptions in the US for both hydroxychloroquine and the related drug, chloroquine.
What are the concerns about safety?
There is concern in the scientific community about using such drugs to treat coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine is safe for treating malaria, and conditions like lupus or arthritis, but so far no clinical trials have recommended it for use against Covid-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) temporarily halted several studies around the world because of safety fears. It had earlier warned about the dangers of self-medicating with the drug.
The WHO announcement came after a study suggested hydroxychloroquine might increase the risk of patients dying from Covid-19.
The Lancet medical journal reviewed the medical records of coronavirus patients, and found that there were no benefits to taking these drugs – and they could even increase the risk of heart problems.
But this research has come in for criticism from a group of more than 120 scientists, who have raised issues about how it was carried out.
Is there evidence they work against Covid-19?
There are trials in various countries on using the drugs to prevent the illness, sometimes involving frontline workers taking it as a prophylactic.
A trial has begun across Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, testing 40,000 people with either hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine or a placebo to see if it’s effective in preventing the virus.
Other studies are looking into whether it can help patients who already have Covid-19.
In the US, various trials are under way for a combination of drugs including chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and an antibiotic called azithromycin, for treating Covid-19 patients.
Nigeria has said it will continue with its own planned clinical trials.
The country’s drugs approval agency said it does not dispute the WHO’s safety warnings, but wanted to generate data from tests on the local population.
Morocco, Algeria and Senegal have also decided to continue trials, although Kenya says it will be suspending its planned studies.
There is insufficient evidence from this research so far to draw firm conclusions as to their effective use in either prevention or in treatment.
There are also risks of serious side effects, including renal and liver damage.
“We need larger, high-quality randomised clinical trials in order to better evaluate their effectiveness,” says University of Oxford’s Kome Gbinigie, author of a report on anti-malarial testing for Covid-19.
Are any countries using these drugs?
In late March, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) did grant “emergency use” authorisation for these drugs in the treatment of Covid-19 for a limited number of hospitalised cases.
That means that in specific circumstances only, hospitals can request and use the medicines for Covid-19 treatment.
But on 24 April, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of using the substances because of reports of heart rhythm problems in patients.
Image copyright Reuters
Image caption American scientists have begun a trial to see if chloroquine will help treat coronavirus
Other countries also deploying these anti-malarial drugs in various settings.
Brazil has relaxed its restrictions on the drugs to allow doctors to prescribe them to patients with mild coronavirus symptoms, not just those in a serious condition in hospital.
The Indian government has expanded the use of the drug as a preventative medicine – but only under medical supervision – for healthcare workers in non-coronavirus environments, and police working in areas with high rates of Covid-19.
France, which had authorised hospitals to prescribe them for patients with Covid-19, later reversed the decision after the country’s medical watchdog warned of side effects.
Drugs normally used to treat malaria, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, have been touted as potential treatments for coronavirus.
The treatments have been promoted and used by some world leaders, but concerns have been raised about their safety and efficacy.
We’ve looked at what we know so far about these drugs.
Why have these drugs gained prominence?
US President Donald Trump revealed in May that he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against Covid-19, but then said he’d stopped.
Mr Trump has repeatedly referred to its potential. At a press conference in April, he said: “What do you have to lose? Take it.”
President Bukele of El Salvador has said he and “other world leaders” were also taking it.
And Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed in a video that “hydroxychloroquine is working in all places.” But that was removed
by Facebook for breaching its misinformation guidelines.
Following Mr Trump’s comments, there was a sharp increase reported in prescriptions in the US for both hydroxychloroquine and the related drug, chloroquine.
What are the concerns about safety?
There is concern in the scientific community about using such drugs to treat coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine is safe for treating malaria, and conditions like lupus or arthritis, but so far no clinical trials have recommended it for use against Covid-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) temporarily halted several studies around the world because of safety fears. It had earlier warned about the dangers of self-medicating with the drug.
The WHO announcement came after a study suggested hydroxychloroquine might increase the risk of patients dying from Covid-19.
The Lancet medical journal reviewed the medical records of coronavirus patients, and found that there were no benefits to taking these drugs – and they could even increase the risk of heart problems.
But this research has come in for criticism from a group of more than 120 scientists, who have raised issues about how it was carried out.
Is there evidence they work against Covid-19?
There are trials in various countries on using the drugs to prevent the illness, sometimes involving frontline workers taking it as a prophylactic.
A trial has begun across Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, testing 40,000 people with either hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine or a placebo to see if it’s effective in preventing the virus.
Other studies are looking into whether it can help patients who already have Covid-19.
In the US, various trials are under way for a combination of drugs including chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and an antibiotic called azithromycin, for treating Covid-19 patients.
Nigeria has said it will continue with its own planned clinical trials.
The country’s drugs approval agency said it does not dispute the WHO’s safety warnings, but wanted to generate data from tests on the local population.
Morocco, Algeria and Senegal have also decided to continue trials, although Kenya says it will be suspending its planned studies.
There is insufficient evidence from this research so far to draw firm conclusions as to their effective use in either prevention or in treatment.
There are also risks of serious side effects, including renal and liver damage.
“We need larger, high-quality randomised clinical trials in order to better evaluate their effectiveness,” says University of Oxford’s Kome Gbinigie, author of a report on anti-malarial testing for Covid-19.
Are any countries using these drugs?
In late March, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) did grant “emergency use” authorisation for these drugs in the treatment of Covid-19 for a limited number of hospitalised cases.
That means that in specific circumstances only, hospitals can request and use the medicines for Covid-19 treatment.
But on 24 April, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of using the substances because of reports of heart rhythm problems in patients.
Image copyright Reuters
Image caption American scientists have begun a trial to see if chloroquine will help treat coronavirus
Other countries also deploying these anti-malarial drugs in various settings.
Brazil has relaxed its restrictions on the drugs to allow doctors to prescribe them to patients with mild coronavirus symptoms, not just those in a serious condition in hospital.
The Indian government has expanded the use of the drug as a preventative medicine – but only under medical supervision – for healthcare workers in non-coronavirus environments, and police working in areas with high rates of Covid-19.
France, which had authorised hospitals to prescribe them for patients with Covid-19, later reversed the decision after the country’s medical watchdog warned of side effects.
