Unites States of America President Donald Trump has made an announcement that HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN taken together can work to cure Corona Virus. He previously claimed chloroquine alone was approved in the United States to cure corona virus.
Savanna News takes a look at the announcement and what it means to the world.
Donald Trump tweeted: HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)…..
What is chloroquine?
Chloroquine is a medication used to prevent and treat malaria. The President claimed Chloroquine has been approved in the United States as a COVID-19 cure.
So is the president right and what is known about its effectiveness?
His announcement that the mixture of Chloroquine and Azithromycin is yet to be tested. Its effectiveness has not been officially communicated.
Following Trump’s announcement, some countries like Nigeria faced an acute shortage of the drug as people heeded Trump’s advice.
Chloroquine has not been approved for treating coronavirus
Trump announced the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) had approved Chloroquine and will be available almost immediately. It turned out not to be factual. However, the mixture of Hydroxychloroquine & Azithromycin is still being tested.
“We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately. And that’s where the FDA has been so great. They’ve gone through the approval process – it’s been approved,” said Trump.
Trump’s claims were refuted by FDA. “There are no FDA-approved therapeutics or drugs to treat, cure or prevent Covid-19,” a representative of the FDA said.
To avoid any doubt, chloroquine has been approved to treat malaria and arthritis only not COVID-19.
However, the FDA are still studying how chloroquine can be used in combination with other drugs if possible to be used as a cure for COVID-19.