Nafdac to continue clinical trials of Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine despite WHO's withdrawal

NIGERIA'S National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) has said it will continue with clinical trials of the two drugs Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine in its search for a cure to Covid-19 despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) giving up on them.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, scientists the world over have been looking for cure cures and vaccines for the virus, with numerous drugs being tried. Both Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine have been widely used in trials but the WHO has given up on both of them, saying it does not see them as the answer.

Despite this, Nafdac director-general Professor Mojisola Adeyeye said her agency will persevere with both drugs in its search for a cure. She added that there were proven records to show that Hydroxychloroquine had been effective in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, especially those at the mild stage of the virus.

Earlier this week, former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan asked African countries to look inward for remedies. On Monday, WHO temporarily suspended clinical trials of Hydroxychloroquine following a study which showed that using the drug on patients could increase their chance of dying.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said: “The executive group has implemented a temporary pause of the Hydroxychloroquine arm within the solidarity trial, while the safety data is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board. Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine are accepted as generally safe for use in patients with autoimmune diseases or malaria, so the suspension is a temporary measure."

However, Adeyeye disagreed, saying: “There is data to prove that Hydroxychloroquine worked for many Covid-19 patients. Therefore, we would continue our own clinical trials in Nigeria as Hydroxychloroquine has been proved to work at a mild stage.

“If medical doctors, research scientists, pharmacists, herbal experts work together, we should conclude the clinical trial in three to four months. The narrative might change afterwards but for now, we believe in Hydroxychloroquine.”