Research progress on antiviral pharmacology and clinical research of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine

Viral infectious disease have the characteristics of high pathogenicity, strong infectivity and great damage, which pose great threats to human health, and even to social development and stability. Therefore, discovering preventive and therapeutic drugs has always been the focus of society. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are common drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of malaria and rheumatic immune disease, with low-budget as well as high safety. This review analyzed studies about the antiviral activity of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, including laboratory experiments and clinical trials about human coronavirus, HIV, Zika virus, and enterovirus E-7. The effects of many types of viruses suggestted that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine possess great clinical application potential.