The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control says it won’t stop the hydroxychloroquine clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 currently going on in Nigeria, regardless of the directive of the World Health Organisation to stop.
This was revealed by the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye on Tuesday during a programme on Television Continental.
The NAFDAC boss insisted there were proven records that hydroxychloroquine had been highly effective in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“There is data to prove that hydroxychloroquine worked for many COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we would continue our own clinical trials in Nigeria. Hydroxychloroquine has been proved to work at a mild stage. So the potency depends on the severity of the disease in the patient’s body,” she said.
Adeyeye also disclosed Lagos State had already begun hydroxychloroquine clinical trials, noting that the clinical trials should be complete in three to four months depending on the speed.
“If medical doctors, research scientists, pharmacists, herbal experts work together, we should conclude the clinical trial in three to four months. The narrative might change afterwards but for now, we believe in hydroxychloroquine.”
Earlier on Monday, the World Health Organisation had upheld “temporarily” the clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
“The Executive Group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity Trial while the safety data is reviewed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board,” said WHO chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus.
Ghebreyesus emphasised that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine “are accepted as generally safe for use in patients with autoimmune diseases or malaria”, noting that the suspension was a temporary measure.