COVID-19: Choloroquine effective at early stages –NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that chloroquine is effective against COVID-19 at the early stage of the disease.

Director-General Prof. Moji Adeyeye, made the disclosure during a virtual interactive session with the media on Tuesday.

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Prof Adeyeye who was responding to a question on why she ordered mass production of chloroquine in March said she did not order it for treatment but for clinical trials.

While detailing her study and findings about the use of chloroquine in COVID-19 management in the last six months, she said that the virus was new and that the world was still learning more about it.

She said, “Remember, remdesivir and chloroquine work in the cells. Chloroquine was proven to work in 100 patients. We did not know at that time that the disease has about four phases – pre-exposure stage, early stage, mild stage, and the severe stage.

“In the cells, in the laboratory, remdesivir and chloroquine killed COVID-19. At what stage would they be more effective? We didn’t know at that point. Now we are realising that chloroquine is effective at the early stage.”

She said a surgeon – Sanjay Gupta, also mentioned on CNN a few days ago that chloroquine could be used prophylactically. Prophylaxis means taking a drug to prevent a disease.

“This is in the US. All the while he had always said it was not effective. Literature is proving it; science cannot lie. We have mixed science with politics and the many people are dying across the world,” she said.

Prof Adeyeye said remdesivir, another drug was also effective at later stages of COVID-19 and that NAFDAC met its manufacturers two months ago, adding that to treat an average patient with chloroquine cost $10 and about $2,500 with remdesivir.

“We are now understanding that it is not only one drug that can be effective for covid-19 but it depends on the stage and the phases of the disease,” she added.

She said the agency was also working towards removing sachet alcohol from Nigerian market soon.

The NAFDAC boss said over 40 organisations have applied to the agency for approval of their indigenous remedies in the management of COVID-19.