THE drugs chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and a combination of lopinavir-ritonavir, all of which are available in Malaysia, can be used to treat Covid-19.

Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the drugs were all registered with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.

He said the Health Ministry would also facilitate the supply of imported antiviral drugs like favipiravir and remdesivir so that they could be used in the treatment of coronavirus patients.

“For remdesivir, Malaysia has been chosen by the World Health Organisation to take part in a multicentre adaptive solidarity trial,” he said on Facebook yesterday.

“The NPRA will provide an expedited review route to bring the clinical study products to Malaysia as soon as possible, while for favipiravir, the ministry is sourcing the drug from suppliers.”

Should there be insufficient supply of drugs from registered parties, the ministry was authorised to turn to unregistered sources of supply.

The ministry will ensure quality, safety and efficacy of the drugs, he said. – Bernama, March 29, 2020.