What is hydroxychloroquine?

President Trump discussed a possible use for the drug, Hydroxychloroquine, to help fight the coronavirus.

Hydroxychloroquine is a drug used to treat different types of malaria.

Here is what we know about Hydroxychloroquine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

What is Hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine is an arthritis medicine that can also prevent malaria. It is available through prescription only in the United States. The drug sold under the brand name Plaquenil, and it also sold as genetic medicine. It is available as tablets of 155mg base (200mg salt). Please know that the 155 mg base tablets are the same as the 200mg sale tablet. There are just two different ways of describing the same thing. This facts sheet provides information about its use for the prevention of malaria infection associated with travel.

Who can take Hydroxychloroquine?

Adults and children of all ages can take Hydroxychloroquine. The drug can also be made safely by pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Who should not take Hydroxychloroquine?

People with psoriasis should not take Hydroxychloroquine.

How should I take Hydroxychloroquine?

Both adults and children should take one dose of Hydroxychloroquine per week, starting at least one week before traveling to the area where malaria transmission occurs. They should make one dose per week while there, and for four consecutive weeks after leaving. The weekly dosage for adults is 310mg base (400mg salt).

Your doctor will have calculated the correct weekly dose for your child based on the child’s weight. The child’s dose should not exceed the adult dose of 310mg base (400mg salt) per week

Where can I buy Hydroxychloroquine?

Antimalarial drugs are available in the United States by prescription only. Medicines should be purchase at a pharmacy before travel rather than in the destination country. Buying medications abroad has its risks: the drugs could be of poor quality, contaminated, or counterfeit and not protect you against malaria.

In what parts of the world can Hydroxychloroquine be used for the prevention of malaria in travelers? Places, where Hydroxychloroquine is found and used in chloroquine (a related medicine), is still active. There are only a few places left in the world where Hydroxychloroquine is still useful, including parts of Central America and the Caribbean. CDC keeps track of all the sites in the world where malaria transmission occurs and which malaria drugs recommended for use in each place.

This information can be found using the malaria map on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website: http://www.cdc.gov/ malaria/map/index.html.