Why we won’t suspend Hydroxychloroquine trial in Nigeria ─NAFDAC

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

Following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recent decision to suspend all clinical trials for Hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has said the trial will continue in the country.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, disclosed this Tuesday, May 26, 2020, during an interview on a private television station.

It is recalled that WHO, Monday, May 25, stated that it had ‘temporarily’ postponed the clinical trials of Hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 over safety concerns.

According to the United Nations’ health agency, the decision to suspend the trials followed a study in The Lancet that the use of the drug on COVID-19 patients could increase their likelihood of dying.

Dr. Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said: “The Executive Group has implemented a temporary pause of the Hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity Trial while the data is reviewed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board.

Nonetheless, Prof. Adeyeye said there were proven records that Hydroxychloroquine had been effective in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

According to NAFDAC Director-General, this is most effective in those at the mild stage of the virus.

“There is data to prove that Hydroxychloroquine worked for many COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we would continue our own clinical trials in Nigeria.

“Hydroxychloroquine has been proved to work at a mild stage. So, the potency depends on the severity of the disease in the patient’s body,” she said.

Chloroquine is a synthetic drug introduced in the 1940s.  It is a member of an important series of chemically related agents known as quinoline derivatives.

Hydroxychloroquine is a related compound that was introduced in 1955.