Kuwait withdraws medicines containing anti-malarial drug chloroquine from pharmacies

• The decision was made to prevent misuse or monopoly of the medicine
• Plaquenil – which is the brand name for hydroxychloroquine – has recently been touted in media as a promising treatment for COVID-19

DUBAI: The Kuwaiti Health Ministry decided to withdraw all medicines containing the anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine from private pharmacies and limit them to hospitals and health centers only, state news agency KUNA reported on Tuesday.
The decision was made to tighten control over the distribution of medicines and to prevent misuse or monopoly of the medicine and preserve the health of patients, said the ministry’s Undersecretary of Health for Drug and Food Control Affairs, Abdullah Al-Bader.
Plaquenil – which is the brand name for hydroxychloroquine-  has recently been touted in media as a promising treatment for COVID-19, however, doctors say it can cause serious side effects or overdoses without proper medical guidance.
Al-Bader stated that Plaquenil is registered in Kuwait to treat immune diseases such as arthritis, lupus and skin allergies and stressed that it has not been licensed and approved as a drug to treat the coronavirus.
This treatment is currently used as an experimental treatment within protocols for specific cases of patients under the supervision of a specialized medical staff who closely follow the patient and monitor the occurrence of any adverse symptoms or complications during the treatment period.