It was originally an antimalarial treatment which "showed very very encouraging preliminary results": the use of chloroquine against the coronavirus was "approved by the United States, announced Thursday Donald Trump, even if the authorities sanitation seemed to put the speed of the process into perspective.
"We will be able to make this medicine available almost immediately," said the president at a press conference in the White House, saying it could "be a game-changer" in the face of the pandemic. He added that this treatment had already been "approved" by the federal agency that oversees the marketing of drugs in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through a very shortened process. "So we're going to be able to make this medication available by prescription," he added.
A clinical trial soon to be set up
The FDA, however, seemed to qualify this presidential announcement, noting that chloroquine was already approved for malaria and arthritis. "The president has asked us to take a closer look at this drug. We want to do this by setting up an extensive and pragmatic clinical trial to collect this information and answer any questions that arise," said chief Stephen Stephen. .
He stressed that while the FDA was ready to "break down barriers" to accelerate innovations, it also had a "responsibility" to "ensure that products are safe and effective".