Chloroquine frenzy: WHO warns against self-medication

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The debate over chloroquine sometimes borders on hysteria, with potential or proven patients who try to get the molecule by all means. The WHO issued a call to order this Friday, and asked to refrain from using therapies that have not yet been proven.

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Out of stock pharmacies all over Europe, poisoning after self-medication cases, sometimes fatal, in Africa and the United States ... The rush on drugs based on chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine worries health authorities. Without ever naming the molecules, the WHO advises States and patients not to use them in the fight against Covid-19. " The history of medicine is littered with examples of treatments that work on paper or in a test tube," explains the agency's boss, Tedros Ghrebeyesus. But we find out afterwards that these treatments do not work for humans or prove to be dangerous. We have to follow the evidence. There is no shortcut possible. "

The other risk is the shortage of stocks. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are used to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases. Patients must be able to obtain them. The warning does not prevent the organization from taking a close look at these molecules. Clinical trials are currently taking place in around 50 countries to determine whether or not chloroquine is a miracle cure or a mirage in the fight against Covid-19.

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