CT Hospitals Using Chloroquine To Treat Coronavirus Patients

CONNECTICUT — Hospitals across Connecticut have begun using the anti-malaria drug chloroquine to treat patients with the new coronavirus "out of desperation" and despite concerns about life-threatening side effects, according to the Hartford Courant.

Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer at Hartford HealthCare, told the Courant that chloroquine and its sister drug hydroxychloroquine need to be taken carefully and could do more harm than good because of the risks involved for certain patients. The hospital system is giving the drugs only to a "select population" of COVID-19 patients, according to the Courant.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an emergency authorization, which isn’t the same as FDA approval, for use of the drugs on COVID-19 patients.

The race to find treatments for coronavirus patients is taking place in other states as well. Three hospitals in Massachusetts received the green light to launch the country's first clinical trial of the Japanese drug favipiravir, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday morning. The Japanese government said the drug, known by brand name Avigan, may be able to treat COVID-19 patients.

Read more at the Hartford Courant here.