Could hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, two types of cheap medicines dating back decades, be the antidote to the emerging coronavirus?
Several countries provide easier access to these two drugs, which are complex forms of quinine from eucalyptus that has been used for centuries to treat malaria.
Hydroxychloroquine, the least toxic of the two, is used as an anti-inflammatory to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The two properties showed promising initial results in the treatment of "Covid 19" caused by the corona virus emerging in preliminary studies in France and China, which prompted US President Donald Trump this week to say that they are "a gift from God," although experts call for caution pending tests. Broader evidence of their efficacy .. Here is information you should know about the two drugs:
Positive points
China used chloroquine in an experiment that involved 134 patients last February, and concluded it was effective in reducing the severity of the disease, officials said.
However, these results have not been published yet. The Chinese respiratory expert, Zhang Nanshan, who heads the special government team to respond to the epidemic, told a press conference last week that the data would be widely released soon.
In France, a team led by Didier Raoul of the University Hospital Hospital-Mediétranes-Institution in Marseille revealed that it had conducted a study of 36 people with "Covid 19" and concluded that hydrochloroquine significantly reduced the viral charge in the treatment group.
The effect was especially pronounced on those who also got azithromycin, a well-known antibiotic used to eliminate secondary bacterial infections.
In addition, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been shown to be effective in combating the SARS virus in laboratory experiments. A study published by a Chinese team last week in the journal "Sil-Decouflage" drew a road map for potential use.
Karen Lowrock, a professor of cellular biology at the University of California, explained that hydroxychloroquine and chlorine are the two main factors that contribute to raising the pH in parts of human cells called cellular or membranous organelles, which have a synonym in animal organs that are usually highly acidic. This, in turn, affects the ability of the virus to enter cells, and appears to prevent it from multiplying when it successfully enters. But she added, "It has worked well in the laboratory, but I'm still waiting to see published results from large-scale clinical trials showing the efficacy of hydrochloroquine in actual cases."
Caution is required
However, all of these are still promises, while the small-scale studies conducted so far provide "meager" evidence, according to Anthony Fauci, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the US National Institutes of Health.
In addition, a small-scale Chinese study published this month also found that hydroxychloroquine was not more effective than the currently approved standard treatment, that is, treating symptoms through rest, fluid intake, etc.
The only way to confirm this is to conduct random clinical trials on what scientists confirm. This kind of clinical experience is the main criterion in this field, but it needs months or even years, and it should include thousands of patients from different regions of the world.
Experts warn that excessive drug promotion may have unintended consequences.
"One of these consequences is, in particular, the depletion of chloroquine in what people need, for example, to treat rheumatoid arthritis," said the former FDA official, Peter Bates.
Some countries adopted a cautious stance on this issue, as Spain announced - for example - last Monday that it gives priority to patients with arthritis and lupus to get this drug "until further notice."
French Health Minister Olivier Ferrand said this drug could only be used to treat the most serious "Covid 19" cases.
Another related problem is that many individuals try to prescribe treatments for themselves. An American man died in Arizona this week after consuming a type of chloroquine used to combat water parasites.
side effects
Several countries, including the United States, have launched clinical trials, one in New York. Italy is conducting an experiment on 2,000 people, while scientists await results from a broader experiment in China. However, with these medicines available for general use, some precautions should be followed.
1% of individuals may have a high risk of fainting, seizures and sudden death due to cardiac arrest, as described by genetic cardiologist Michael Ackerman of the Mayo Clinic in the United States. Medical personnel should therefore conduct an electrocardiogram to inform people of the risks before using these medications.