Nigeria Health official issues warning over chloroquine

Health officials in Nigeria have issued a warning over chloroquine after they said three people in the country overdosed on the drug, in the wake of President Trump's comments about using it to treat coronavirus.

A Lagos state official told CNN that three people were hospitalized in the city after taking the drug. Officials later issued a statement cautioning against using chloroquine for Covid-19 treatment.

Drug not approved: President Donald Trump cliamed at a White House briefing last week that the Food and Drug Administration had approved the "very powerful" drug chloroquine to treat coronavirus.

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The FDA after the briefing issued a statement saying it had not approved the drug for use against Covid-19 and is still studying its effectiveness against the disease.

Price hikes: After Trump's comments, there was a surge of interest among people in Lagos keen to stock up on the medication, which has led to price hikes in the megacity of around 20 million inhabitants. 

One man told CNN that in a pharmacy near his home on the Lagos mainland, he witnessed the price rise by more than 400% in a matter of minutes.

No evidence: The Lagos State Health Ministry issued a brief statement saying there was no "hard evidence that chloroquine is effective in prevention or management of coronavirus infection."

What is it used for? Chloroquine is used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

CNN