Chloroquine no cure-all, experts say

WILTON — The inspirational story of Chris Tillett, the father of twin infant sons who is recovering after being in a medically induced coma for 10 days due to the coronavirus, has put a spotlight on a controversial medication.

Tillett, 45, said doctors at Danbury Hospital, where he was treated, tried several different drug protocols to treat the contagious respiratory illness that ravaged his body and left him with bilateral pneumonia. The one that worked for him was a combination of the malaria drug chloroquine and the HIV anti-viral drug Kaletra.

However, Tillett, who was Connecticut’s first resident to test positive for COVID-19, is quick to point out that everyone is unique, and the medications used on him are not a universal cure-all.

“It worked for me, but it might not work for everyone,” he told Hearst Connecticut Media.

Still, due to its use in this and other cases, some have latched onto chloroquine as a potential “cure” for COVID-19. On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization to allow hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products to be used for certain patients with COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is a derivative of chloroquine, and has also been used to treat the virus.

Both drugs are produced by multiple companies. On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services accepted 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, and 1 million doses of chloroquine phosphate donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals.

President Donald Trump has even praised the medication, tweeting on March 21 that “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.”

Meanwhile, Tillett’s wife, Elizabeth, said she’s received multiple requests via email and social media wanting to know how her husband was treated.

“I’ve tried to respond to every single one either through a message, email, or phone call,” she said. “I want people to know what worked for him, and hope either his protocol or something else will be equally as effective for them or their loved one.”