As leading doctors warn of widespread infection globally, hospitals can now use chloroquine an anti-malarial drug for serious COVID-19 conditions.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are oral prescription drugs that have been used for the treatment of malaria in tropical Africa and other parts of the world.
Chloroquine has also been used for chemoprophylaxis, which is the administering of drugs to prevent the development of the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hydroxychloroquine is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and certain inflammatory conditions. Both drugs have in-vitro activity against SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and other coronaviruses, with hydroxychloroquine having relatively higher potency against SARS-CoV-2.
A study in China reported that chloroquine treatment of COVID-19 patients had shown encouraging results in clinical trials.
The CDC cited a study, documented in the journal Bioscience Trends this month, that chloroquine phosphate has demonstrated "apparent efficacy and acceptable safety against COVID-19-associated pneumonia" in trials in China.
Jordan's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised physicians to use hydroxychloroquine along with an antiviral medicine as a treatment for COVID-19 in patients in an advanced stage of the disease.
United States President Donald Trump has called the drug which is used to treat malaria and other conditions game-changers.
CNN reported that New York moved to begin trials Tuesday, procuring 70,000 doses of hydroxychloroquine and 750,000 doses of chloroquine, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
In addition, Bayer, the drug maker, has donated 3 million doses of Resochin, its brand name for chloroquine, to the federal government.
Chloroquine is a derivative of quinine, which French chemists in 1820 isolated from the bark of the cinchona tree found in South America, employing it as a treatment for fevers.
"German scientists created the synthetic chloroquine in 1934 as part of a class of antimalarials," MMV said.
Chloroquine and DDT became 'the two principal weapons in WHO's global eradication malaria campaign' following World War II, the organization stated.
Hydroxychloroquine is what's known as an analogue of chloroquine, meaning the two have similar structures but different chemical and biological properties.
Hydroxychloroquine is being studied to determine if it can prevent the onset of Covid-19 before or after a patient is infected.
In the United States, several clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection are planned or will be enrolling soon.
The World Health Organisation advises the general public to take preventive measures like frequent hand washing with soap and clean water.
Social distancing measures like staying home when you are you have flu-like symptoms, cleaning and disinfecting tables, doorknobs, floors, are other recommendations given by the health body.
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