The US and many nations across the globe have been suggesting the use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Why has the anti-malaria drug HCQ become a hot commodity? Complete Coverage: Coronavirus
Crux of the Matter
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is primarily a medicine used to treat Malaria. As Coronavirus began spreading rapidly across the globe, scientists and doctors across the globe began fighting the disease using the primary information they had received about the virus. They began using cocktails of HIV medicine and anti-malarial drug to treat COVID-19 patients.
South Korean doctors suggested administering anti-HIV medicine with HCQ to treat Coronavirus. Doctors and scientists from Australia, US, Italy, France, Belgium, China, etc. are also exploring and suggesting the use of HCQ along with other medicines like azithromycin, Kaletra, lopinavir, ritonavir, remdesivir, etc.
There are some experts who do not endorse the use of HCQ because of less empirical evidence of the cure. The effect of the medicine on the body and how it cures a COVID-19 patient is still under research. However, the early success of some nations has skyrocketed its demand. India is the largest producer of HCQ in the world, and it had curtailed its export to meet the domestic demand first.
India lifted the ban on Hydroxychloroquine and agreed to supply it to the US, whose President hinted at a retaliation if India did not supply it, and other needy neighbours and badly affected countries.
Fully agree with you President @realDonaldTrump. Times like these bring friends closer. The India-US partnership is stronger than ever. India shall do everything possible to help humanity's fight against COVID-19. We shall win this together. https://t.co/0U2xsZNexE — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2020
Curiopedia
Amid hike in demand globally, pharma companies are planning to increase the production of HCQ by 6-7 times. From 10MT per month to approximately 70MT per month.
The HCQ story begins in 1638 when the wife of the Viceroy of Peru, Countess Cinchona, acquired malaria while living in the New World. Rather than getting the “approved” therapy, blood-letting, she was treated by an Incan herbalist with the bark of a tree. It took nearly two centuries for the active substance, Quinine, to be isolated from the bark.
Over the next century, quinine would become a common component in folk medicines and patent remedies for the treatment of malaria in the southern states of America, as well as for generic malaise.
Quinine is the derivative of Chloroquine, which was later improvised to HCQ.
Curated Coverage
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