Sibeth Ndiaye, government spokesperson, considers "promising" clinical trials with chloroquine to treat patients with coronavirus. But both the government and the scientific community remain quite cautious.
The professor Didier Raoult, which tests the chloroquine, a drug already used against malaria at the Marseille University Hospital Institute, said on Monday that its effect against the coronavirus was "spectacular with the disappearance of the virus in six days among three-quarters of patients".
In a video, the director of the Marseille IHU explains that 24 patients suffering from the coronavirus, took Plaquenil, one of the trade names of chloroquine, and that six days later, only 25% are still carriers of virus while 90% of those who have not received this treatment are still positive.
"The ministry wanted to extend these clinical trials, which will be duplicated on a larger number of patients," said government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye.
Caution
Many experts call for caution in the absence of further studies and because of its side effects which can be serious, especially in case of overdose. This malaria treatment is usually not recommended for people over 65, precisely the age group in which this coronavirus is the most lethal.
Reached by phone, Dr. Gérald Kierzek, an emergency doctor at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris, said "that there is no miracle drug. Chloroquine is still in the testing period".
He added that citizens "should not rush to pharmacies to ask for chloroquine because there are many side effects, including fatal effects".
For Dr. Gérald Kierzek, we must let "the scientists do their work" and that the research of Professor Didier Raoult is surely on a good path. "You have to see everything that is on offer," he concludes.
by Celine Peschard