COVID-19 Treatment Update: Two Million Malaria Drug Tablets from Accord Healthcare Ltd. Will Be Given to Healthcare Frontliners as Part of Coronavirus Trial

The biggest COVID-19 treatment trial will push through as global medicine distributor, Accord Healthcare Ltd, will supply a known malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, to 40,000 frontline healthcare workers in the COPCOV study, Daily Mail reported.

Touted by Trump

This malaria drug has been praised by the United States President, Donald Trump. In a previous report, hydroxychloroquine is said will be soon available in Australia's healthcare system.

Hydroxychloroquine has been marketed as Plaquenil, and it was described as a 'gift from God' by Trump and reportedly wants to fast-track its use in the country. There were also COVID-19 patients, claimed that hydroxychloroquine had saved their lives.

The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Frankfurt
An employee in protective clothing does a fast test for coronavirus, developed by Frankfurt's University Clinic and the German Red Cross, that will allow to increase the testing rate per day significant, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Frankfurt, Germany, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, The University of Oxford is running the study on top of the recovery trial, wherein researchers are assessing whether antimalarial drugs can treat COVID-19 patients who are critically ill.

Health chiefs have encouraged other health experts in a bid to speed up findings a cure. As part of finding a cure, there are selected people who signed up for the trial--among them are the Patients in Exeter.

Although there are experts hopeful that hydroxychloroquine may kill the virus, there are still critics urging caution until the results of large-scale trials are published, which will not take several months. There are also claims oppose the ability of hydroxychloroquine to kill the coronavirus.

Hydroxychlorine drug pulled out in Sweden

In Sweden, several hospitals pulled out this malaria medication after some patients showed the side effects after taking it. The side effects include cramps, peripheral vision loss, and migraines. It also said that the drug could cause the heart to beat too fast or slow, leading to a fatal heart attack.

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