Distribution of Chloroquine Doubles in Seven Months in Brazil’s Publicly Funded Health Care System

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chloroquine distribution in Brazil broke record levels in 2020. According to data gathered by VEJA through the Access to Information Act (LAI), the Ministry of Health provided the state Health Secretariats with over seven million pills of the drug between March and September this year, a figure that is almost double the amount distributed in 2018 and 2019 as a whole.

The drug is traditionally purchased by Brazil for the National Malaria Control Program. In 2018, distribution of chloroquine 150 mg amounted to 2,521,000 pills. In 2019, the total was 1,828,000 pills. Over the past two years, therefore, and solely for the treatment of malaria, 4,349,000 pills were distributed.

As of March 27th, 2020, the Ministry of Health began to distribute chloroquine to all federal states, so that the drug could be included in the treatment of Covid-19 – although its efficacy was and still is not confirmed for the disease. At the time, the portfolio still managed by Luiz Henrique Mandetta transferred 500,000 pills to states and municipalities for the control of the coronavirus.

Mandetta left the portfolio in April, and the use of the drug for the coronavirus was one of the main points of discord with President Jair Bolsonaro, poster boy for the medicine. Since then, the amount was gradually increased, rchloroquine pills eaching a peak in May and June, with over one million pills distributed monthly specifically for the disease.

The drug is produced by Fiocruz and the Army Pharmaceutical Laboratory – the latter stepped up production after orders from the Brazilian government. The laboratory used to produce 250,000 pills every two years to serve the military in the fight against malaria. This year, three million pills were produced to also serve patients with coronavirus.

In all, the Ministry of Health provided 1,366,000 chloroquine pills this year to contain malaria. For Covid-19, the Secretariats received 5,861,700 pills, totaling 7,227,700 chloroquine tablets distributed by the Publicly Funded Health Care System (SUS).

When asked, the Ministry of Health declined to disclose the current stock of the drug. “This is strategic data from the Ministry of Health and may not be passed on,” it replied.

“However, it should be noted that the States and the Federal District are supplied with Chloroquine 150mg, both for the Malaria Program and for Covid-19 treatment, and a sharp drop in demand for the Covid-19 program has been observed in this second half of 2020”, added the Ministry of Health.

The portfolio further stated that its priority for the second half of the year is to supply hydroxychloroquine 200mg, donated by the United States government and the Novartis/Sandoz Laboratory. In all, three million pills were received, two million of which were donated by the U.S. government. “This drug is available for distribution,” reported the Ministry of Health.

Source: Veja