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Hydroxychloroquine is back in the news thanks to the state of Ohio. On Thursday, a new regulation from Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy prohibits the anti-malarial drug from being used to treat or prevent the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
According to Newsweek, “pharmacies, clinics and other medical institutions” have been banned from selling or prescribing the drug.
Hydroxychloroquine had previously had its emergency use authorization revoked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after it was determined the drug offered no benefit against COVID-19.
“Additionally, in light of ongoing serious cardiac adverse events and other potential serious side effects, the known and potential benefits of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine no longer outweigh the known and potential risks for the authorized use,” the FDA said.
There have also been studies by the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Institutes of Health that determined hydroxychloroquine is not useful against the coronavirus.
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 4.4 confirmed cases and 152,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
