Coronavirus: Trump and Widodo back chloroquine treatment, but fake news about this drug is as deadly as Covid-19

Public statements by the US and Indonesian presidents have sent demand for the drug – usually used to treat malaria – rocketing

Yet its effectiveness against Covid-19 is at best unproven and in the wrong hands it can be fatal

Reading Time:5 minutes

Tablets containing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which have been touted by some as a treatment for the coronavirus. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:30pm, 25 Mar 2020Updated: 9:40pm, 25 Mar 2020

First they came for the vitamins, then they came for the face masks and the hand sanitiser. And then they came for the chloroquine.

Ever since the coronavirus was discovered, more and more customers have been coming to the Iskandar Muda Pharmacy in Medan, Indonesia, looking for ways to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

In the past two days, customers have been arriving in droves in search of chloroquine, a drug that derives from quinine and is usually used to treat malaria.

“At first we were confused about why people wanted it, then we saw that [President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo] had announced that it was a possible treatment for Covid-19,” explained pharmacist Maria. “It all made sense.”

A pharmacy sign in Indonesia says ‘All masks, alcohol and hand sanitiser are sold out’. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn

On March 23, Indonesia’s president announced the country had ordered 3 million chloroquine tablets. Chloroquine comes from the cinchona tree which grows widely across Indonesia. “There is neither a cure nor an antiviral to Covid-19, but in drawing from the experiences of countries, chloroquine can be used to help patients recover from disease,” Widodo said. He added that the tablets would be distributed to patients through hospitals.

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