Safety of Treatments in Clinical Trial

The expert physicians of the Porphyrias Consortium will continue to evaluate potential COVID-19 treatments for safety in acute hepatic porphyria.  Updates will be offered as treatments are studied.

CHLOROQUINE OR HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE
Many have inquired about the safety of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to help prevent or minimize the consequences of infection by the coronavirus (COVID-19). These closely related drugs are likely safe for patients with acute hepatic porphyria,  and are already approved by the FDA for treating other medical conditions.  But there are no scientific data from clinical trials to suggest they are effective or even safe in anyone exposed to this virus. The anecdotal information with the SARS virus is not strong evidence.  We need to wait for the results of clinical trials being conducted by the National Institutes of Health to determine the value of these and a number of other drugs for this infection.