On March 27th, 2020, the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine posted a warning about human use of chloroquine phosphate that is intended for aquarium fish. A husband and wife in the United States took chloroquine phosphate that was used to treat their fish in attempt to prevent COVID-19 infection, which resulted in both becoming very sick and the husband dying. The incident is still under investigation.
Veterinary products have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, efficacy, or proper manufacturing. Products that are labeled for veterinary use or for research use should not be consumed by humans. Animal drugs are not interchangeable with human drugs.
The FDA recommends that people should not use any form of chloroquine, unless prescribed by a licensed healthcare provider and obtained from a legitimate source. Human drugs should not be given to pets or livestock, and veterinarians should be contacted in case of any questions about animal health.
The FDA is working with online marketplaces to remove aquarium chloroquine products. Consumers are encouraged to contact the FDA by emailing FDA-COVID-19-Fraudulent-Products@fda.hhs.gov or calling 1‑888-InfoFDA (1-888-463-6332) regarding any product that is advertised to cure or prevent COVID-19.
More information is available at the following link: