The National Task force for COVID-19 led by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday gave its nod for the use of anti-malarial medicine hydroxylchloroquine as prophylaxis (preventive drug) for the coronavirus infection for high risk cases albeit with precautions. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved it for “restricted use in emergency situations”.
The drug cannot be given for general use and one must not self-administer, said ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava when it was brought to his notice that people are rushing to hoard it.
Meanwhile, in the wake of rising cases of coronavirus in the country, the ICMR has also put on fast-track the process of giving approval to kit manufacturers for testing suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
In a press briefing here on Monday, Dr Bhargava said the hydroxyl-chloroquine compound is recommended only for a healthcare worker who is treating a Covid-19 patient. “Secondly, it’s recommended only for persons staying and caring for a household positive patient. They can take that only for prophylaxis, only for prevention,” he added.
ICMR has, however, cautioned the States that placing of healthcare workers under chemoprophylaxis with hydroxy-chloroquine should not instill a sense of false security and that they should simultaneously follow all prescribed public health measures such as frequent washing of hands, respiratory etiquette, keeping a distance of minimum one metre and use of personal protective equipment (wherever applicable).
In an advisory issued to the States, the ICMR said that the high risk contacts of a positive case placed under chemo prophylaxis should remain in home quarantine while on prophylactic therapy. As recommended by the task force, the drug should only be given on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner, it added.
Apart from the symptoms of Covid-19 (fever, cough, breathing difficulty), if the person on chemoprophylaxis develops any other symptoms, he should immediately seek medical treatment from the medical practitioner who has prescribed the chemoprophylaxis, said the advisory.
The health authorities are pinning hopes on hydroxyl-chloroquine amidst studies reporting its positive results. For instance, researchers in France have published a study in which they treated 20 Covid-19 patients with hydroxyl-chloroquine. They concluded that the drug significantly reduced viral load in nasal swabs. But it was not a randomised controlled trial and it didn’t report clinical outcomes such as deaths, according to the journal Science of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).