Although interest in the use of chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19-associated pneumonia has recently increased because of in vitro efficacy studies and a preliminary clinical report, reliable information on chloroquine including doses or target concentrations for this application is lacking

Until information of high-quality studies becomes available, we suggest considering dose regimens that have proven to be effective and safe in other diseases, such as malaria, to guide chloroquine dosing in SARS-CoV-2 infections in adults and children

Given the unique pharmacokinetic profile of chloroquine and data from several pharmacokinetic studies, no large impact of renal dysfunction, critical illness, or obesity is expected, although in critically ill patients, drug absorption might be hampered

Although chloroquine seems well tolerated in therapeutic dose regimens under corrected QT monitoring, it has been shown to be possibly lethal in short-term intoxications, especially in children, for which caution is warranted