Covid-19: All you need to know about Hydroxychloroquine

Team Udayavani, Apr 9, 2020, 6:32 PM IST

Although we still haven’t developed any kind of vaccination to cure Covid-19, Hydroxychloroquine is making a lot of buzz lately.

What is Hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine is one of the oldest and best-known anti-malarial drugs. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Although its effectiveness is controversial, the drug has been approved by the FDA for emergency use for some patients who are hospitalized with coronavirus.

Does it have side effects?

Hydroxychloroquine has a long list of possible side effects such as psychiatric symptoms, cardiac problems.

Does it help in dealing with Covid-19?

Researchers are still trying to figure out whether hydroxychloroquine helps in dealing with Covid-19 or if they are getting better on their own. A recent study claimed that chloroquine could block the coronavirus from invading cells, which it must do to replicate and cause illness. But, drugs that fight viruses in test tubes do not always work in the human body.
Doctors of France and China say that hydroxychloroquine, sometimes combined with the antibiotic azithromycin, seemed to help patients.

Can I use the drug to prevent Covid-19?

No, there is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine can prevent coronavirus infection and taking such drugs without prescription can be fatal.