The Chloroquine Story in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The emergence of COVID-19 has caused worldwide concern due to its high infectivity and mortality. Research groups around the world have prioritised drug development against COVID-19. Repurposing of already approved drugs, including the antimalarial drug chloroquine, has attracted considerable attention. The aim of this article is to (i) provide an overview of the recent chemical methods used to synthesise chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, and (ii) provide insight into the data collected in 2020 on their efficacy against COVID-19. Unfortunately, the promising early results have not been confirmed and a clear and unambiguous conclusion on their clinical efficacy has not yet been drawn.