Drug manufacturers have been ordered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to commence immediate production of Chloroquine as clinical trial for the usage of the drug in the treatment of Coronavirus.
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The administration of the drug, according to the Agency, is to start in Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous city that has become the epicentre of the disease.
According to the DG, other researchers in France and the US have used the drug for the clinical trial treatment of the virus and they reported the effectiveness of the drug.
Adeyeye said: “Lagos State will be starting a clinical trial on chloroquine to evaluate the effectiveness.”
As the disease gradually spreads beyond earlier expectations, triggering the total lockdown of states as Lagos, Ogun, Abuja for 14 days, drug manufacturers in Nigeria are to start producing the drug for emergency stock and usage in the possible clinical trial treatment of COVID-19 across the country.
NAFDAC, however, emphasised the need for the public to desist from the use of chloroquine without the guidance of a medical doctor or clinician for cases of clinical trial treatment of COVID-19.
The agency stressed that the drug has side effects such as gastrointestinal upset, blurred vision, headache, and pruritis (itching); prolonged use of which can also cause retinopathy or vision impairment.
In the meantime, Chloroquine works by increasing endosomal pH from the acidic environment required for virus/cell fusion, resulting in the inhibition of infection of SARS-CoV.
Further findings show that the drug also interferes with the glycosylation of cellular receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. This may inhibit the virus-receptor binding and terminate the infection.
The antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects of chloroquine, meanwhile, contributes to the efficacy in treating COVID-19 patients, she said, explaining how the drug works in combating the disease.
