A man in his sixties died on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona, after ingesting chloroquine phosphate. It was an NGO working in the health sector that revealed this tragedy, which has since been confirmed by numerous American media.
The victim’s wife, also in her sixties, hospitalized for an overdose of the same substance, explained on NBC that the idea came to them after having seen Donald Trump extolling the virtues of this drug during a press briefing. .
“They kept saying it was approved for other things. Trump said it was practically like a cure, “she said. She and her husband, she says, each took a teaspoon of chloroquine phosphate, a product they kept at home to treat aquarium fish.
Under the influence of Trump
On Monday, during his daily press briefing, Donald Trump once again praised the merits of chloroquine. He said the drug could, he said, “really make a difference” in the fight against coronavirus if used as a treatment.
“There is a good chance it can have a huge impact. It would be a gift from heaven if it worked. It would really be a game changer. We will see, “said the President.
Also on Monday, he posted on Twitter an article about a man in Florida claiming that the drug “saved his life”. A previous Trump statement on chloroquine had bounced the New York Stock Exchange.
The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the marketing of drugs in the United States, announced “an extensive clinical trial” while recalling that its role was to ensure that the products were safe and effective.
Many side effects
Chloroquine is an inexpensive treatment, used for several decades against malaria, proposed according to the countries under the trade name of Nivaquine or Resochin. This treatment is often recommended when planning to travel to an area infested with the malaria parasite, transmitted by mosquitoes.
