There is no evidence to back claims that Chloroquine can be used to treat Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Lagos State Government has said.
The Witness reports that the Lagos government made this statement after the United States President, Donald Trump, on Thursday, said the U.S. had approved Chloroquine for use as a treatment for the new virus.
Reacting to Trump’s statement, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, warned Nigerians against using the anti-malarial drug.
His words: “We do not have any hard evidence that chloroquine is effective in preventing or managing #COVID19,” Abayomi said, adding, “We are watching the global research space to clearly define its efficiency in #COVID19.”
Abayomi warned that: “Chloroquine has significant side effects and should not be used without medical supervision, as it may cause more harm than good,” adding that the “Lagos State Ministry of Health will be conducting its own clinical trial on the effectiveness of chloroquine in the prevention or management of #COVID19 infection.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health urged Nigerians to wait for the directives of the relevant authorities in the country on the use of chloroquine, adding that members of the public should not use the drug without medical supervision.
Abayomi, however, urged Nigerians to wait for the directives of the relevant authorities in the country on the use of chloroquine, adding that members of the public should not use the drug without medical supervision.
Meanwhile, this is coming after the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday said it had approved the production of Chloroquine for clinical trials.
“They’ve gone through the approval process — it’s been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we’re going to be able to make that drug available by prescription.”