COVID-19: reminder of the risks of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine

EMA

29 May 2020 - The EMA is reminding health care professionals to closely monitor patients with COVID-19 who are receiving chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, given the serious side effects that can result from treatment with these medicines.

Both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which are authorised for malaria and certain autoimmune diseases, have been used to treat patients with COVID-19 but their beneficial effects in this patient population are not established.

Several observational studies in COVID-19 have reported that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are associated with an increased risk of heart problems, a well-known side effect of such treatments, including cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.

Read EMA press release

Michael Wonder

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Michael Wonder