TOPIC: Chloroquine Phosphate Intended for Fish: FDA Letter to Stakeholders – Do Not Use as Treatment for COVID-19 in Humans
AUDIENCE: Consumer, Health Professional
ISSUE: The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has recently become aware that some consumers may mistake chloroquine phosphate used to treat disease in aquarium fish for FDA-approved drugs (used to treat malaria and certain other conditions in humans) that are being studied as a COVID-19 treatment for humans. Unfortunately, we have learned that one person in the United States has died after he and his wife reportedly took chloroquine used to treat their fish in an attempt to prevent COVID-19; his wife also became very ill.
Our primary concern during the COVID-19 pandemic is the imminent threat to the health of consumers who may take animal drugs thinking they are interchangeable with approved human drugs.
Healthcare business graph and Medical examination and businessman analyzing data and growth chart on blured background
PAHO has developed a searchable database that provides access to technical guidelines, scientific publications, and ongoing research protocols from the Americas and affected countries worldwide regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Recommendations and guidance from the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization are also included, making it a useful platform of trusted information for decision and policy-making authorities, researchers, health professionals, and individuals.
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PAHO’s Regional Program on Bioethics has developed a document that provides ethics guidance for the public health response, health care delivery and research during current COVID-19 pandemic.
