CNN
As the world’s heath experts race to find treatments — and eventually, a cure — for the novel coronavirus, two drugs have jumped to the front of the conversation: chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
President Donald Trump has called the drugs, which are used to treat malaria and other conditions, game changers, and a rush to procure the pharmaceuticals spurred several US states to take measures to prevent shortages amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
New York moved to begin trials Tuesday, procuring 70,000 doses of hydroxychloroquine and 750,000 doses of chloroquine, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. In addition, Bayer, the drug maker, has donated 3 million doses of Resochin, its brand name for chloroquine, to the federal government.
Perhaps demonstrating why health officials are urging caution — saying chloroquine requires further clinical study and might not be the panacea it’s billed to be — officials in Nigeria’s Lagos state have reported three overdoses in the days since the drug entered the conversation surrounding the pandemic.
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