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EU, Toxicology Bodies Issue Warnings on Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, Trump-Backed COVID-19 Drugs

New warnings about efficacy and poison-control worries come a day after the FDA approved the use of the drugs the president continues to tout without evidence.

The European Union is warning that there’s no evidence yet to show that the anti-malaria drug hyped by President Trump is effective in treating the novel coronavirus. “The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients has to date not been proved,” a European Commission spokesperson said Tuesday. The comments came as the EU’s European Medicines Agency noted that chloroquine, along with a handful of other drugs, are undergoing clinical trials to study their use against the coronavirus but emphasized in a statement that as yet “no medicine has yet demonstrated efficacy in treating COVID-19.” 

Separately, the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, the American College of Medical Toxicology, and the American Association of Poison Control Centers released a joint statement warning that the drugs should only be taken under strict supervision of a doctor for valid, FDA-approved uses since both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine “can result in severe toxicity, including death, when taken in excess or as a result of interactions with other drugs.”