24/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned, on Thursday 23 April, about the adverse effects on the heart and liver that can result from the intensive use of the antimalarial drug chloroquine to fight COVID-19. "Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are known to potentially cause heart rhythm problems and these could be exacerbated if treatment is combined with other medicines, such as the antibiotic azithromycin", the European agency said in a statement. "These medicines are being used in the context of the ongoing pandemic for treating patients with COVID-19 and investigated in clinical trials. However, clinical data are still very limited and inconclusive. And the beneficial effects of these medicines in COVID-19 have not been demonstrated", it added, recommending waiting for larger and well-designed studies before drawing conclusions. See: https://bit.ly/2VztQ2z (MB)