RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Army Pharmaceutical Chemical Laboratory (LQFEx) boosted its chloroquine manufacturing capacity even before confirmation on its effectiveness and the possible risks of using the substance to treat coronavirus infections.
From the outbreak of the pandemic in late February until April 14th, the facility, which has been producing the drug since 2000 to treat malaria, has produced more than 1.2 million tablets, all of which requested by the Ministry of Health. The average until then was 250,000 tablets every two years. The figures were provided by the Army’s press office.
Current output, 80 times the historical average, may be even higher. While in one and a half months of pandemic 1.25 million tablets have been produced, the Army reports that it is now able to produce almost the same amount within a week: “Production capacity can be up to one million tablets per week,” the facility says.
Located in Rio de Janeiro, the Army’s Pharmaceutical Chemical Laboratory (LQFEx) said the substance’s manufacture “will be in line with the development of the pandemic in the country, and there are no plans to end it”. It is up to the Ministry of Defense, according to the guidance of the Ministry of Health, to determine the destination of the drug. Each unit costs 20 cents.
However, despite efforts to expedite drug production, its use still lacks the backing set forth in large-scale studies. In Brazil, a study with the drug is being conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and, to date, it is not feasible to state its effectiveness in treating those infected with the novel coronavirus. The first results of this research only show that severe Covid-19 patients should not use high doses of the substance.
While researchers from around the world are trying to reach a conclusion on the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of the coronavirus, President Jair Bolsonaro saw in them an opportunity to suggest a solution to the severe pandemic, just as Donald Trump did in the US. Since the first Covid-19 cases were recorded in Brazil, Bolsonaro had been saying that there was a cure for the disease, which he initially referred to as a “minor cold” and a “minor flu”.
Since then, the Ministry of Health has released the use of the substance in patients with the virus, at the doctor’s discretion and subject to the patient’s consent, since its results are not yet proven to be safe. The Ministry of Health itself pointed out the drug’s side effects, which can cause heart conditions.
The Federal Council of Medicine went along the same lines, emphasizing that “there is no solid evidence that these drugs have a confirmed effect on the prevention and treatment of this disease,” while allowing its to be prescribed as long as the patient’s consent is granted and the current inconclusive status of its application is disclosed.
Source: El País