Geneva:A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against using hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, the drugs for malaria and other diseases, in the treatment of COVID-19, saying these drugs should be reserved for use within clinical trials.
Responding to question on hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine being used to treat COVID-19 patients in certain countries, Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, told a press conference on Wednesday that, despite that, both drugs are already licensed for many diseases, at this stage, they have been as yet found to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19 or in the prophylaxis against coming down with the disease, Xinhua reported.
"And the opposite, warnings have been issued by many authorities regarding the potential side effects of the drug and many countries have limited its use to that of clinical trials or during clinical trials or under the supervision of clinicians in a hospital setting that's specifically for COVID-19, because of several potential side effects that have occurred and could occur," Ryan stressed.
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