Potential of Quinine Sulfate for COVID-19 Treatment and Its Safety Profile: Review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently the largest and most serious health crisis in the world. There is no definitive treatment for COVID-19. Vaccine administration has begun in various countries, but no vaccine is 100% effective. Some people are not protected after vaccination, and there are some groups of people who cannot be vaccinated therefore, research on COVID-19 treatment still needs to be done. Of the several drugs under study, chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are quite controversial, although they have good activity against SARS-CoV-2, both drugs have serious side effects. Indonesia with its wealth of natural ingredients has one potential compound, quinine sulfate (QS), which has the same structure and activity as CQ and HCQ and a better safety profile. The aim of this article was to review the potential of QS against the SARS-Cov-2 virus and outline its safety profile. We conclude that QS has the potential to be developed as a COVID-19 treatment with a better safety profile than that of CQ and HCQ.