What is hydroxychloroquine and what are the side effects?
DONALD Trump has revealed he takes a malaria pill called hydroxychloroquine daily in the hope of staving off coronavirus.
But what is the drug and what are the side effects?
What is hydroxychloroquine?
Hydroxychloroquine is a disease-modifying drug used to treat malaria.
It can also be used as treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and porphyria cutanea tarda.
It can only be used to treat malaria in areas where where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine.
It's mostly sold under the name Plaquenil in the United States, but can be found under other brand names too.
The drug works by modifying the underlying disease process, and regulating the immune system - rather than treating the symptoms.
Can it be used to treat coronavirus?
There's currently no evidence hydroxychloroquine can be used to treat coronavirus - and some suggested its use as a treatment for the virus could even kill you.
Recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine both concluded that hydroxychloroquine can't treat COVID-19.
However, studies are ongoing into its use after several doctors claimed it was effective in treating some Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms.
Bolsonaro said: "Hydroxychloroquine is working in all places," but the video has since been taken down from Facebook for breaching their misinformation guidelines.
Why is Donald Trump taking it?
The President began taking the drug after receiving a letter from a New York doctor based in Westchester, who supposedly used it to treat over 300 COVID-19 patients.
He since told reporters he takes a pill daily, along with a zinc supplement.
He said: "I started taking it, because I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories," the President.
"Frontline workers take it, a lot of doctors take it, I take it.
"I'm not going to get hurt by it, it's been around for 40 years for malaria, for lupus. I'm taking the two - the zinc and the hydroxyl. So far I seem to be okay.
"I hope to be able to not take it soon because I hope they come up with some answer but I think people should be allowed to [take it]. I take a pill every day. At some point I'll stop.”
The president revealed that White House doctor Sean Conley prescribed it for him after he inquired about the potential treatment, also used to treat lupus and arthritis.
Dr Conley said he and the President had discussed the potential benefits and dangers of taking the drug.
"After numerous discussions, he and I regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from the treatment outweighed the relative risk," he said in a statement released by the White House.
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What are the side effects of hydroxychloroquine?
Though the drug was the first coronavirus treatment to be approved, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have since issued a warning due to the increased risk of heart problems.
According to their website: "The FDA is aware of reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, often in combination with azithromycin and other QT prolonging medicines.
It can also cause:
- skin rashes, especially those made worse by sunlight
- nausea or indigestion
- diarrhoea
- headaches
- bleaching of the hair or mild hair loss
- tinnitus
- sight problems