Ask HN: Is it possible to synthesize chloroquine at home, if so – how?

[c89X]

With the ongoing corona virus crisis, ánd mounting evidence that chloroquine (and hydrochloroquine) functions as an effective suppressant/cure for COVID-19, I was wondering if it is possible at all to synthesize (safely!!) those compounds using widely available resources and raw materials.

Perhaps a list of needed raw materials, list of resources needed and a step wise recipe would be useful in the coming weeks.

If this is not possible to do safely, perhaps someone knowledgeable can shed light on why that is.

[PaulHoule]

See this

https://www.beilstein-journals.org/bjoc/articles/14/45

That kind of continuous flow chemistry is a revolution, something like 3D printing.

[lisk1]

Thanks for the link, There are essential medicines that synthesis of which should be public domain.

[PaulHoule]

Wikipedia says: "Hydroxychloroquine was approved for medical use in the United States in 1955.[1] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system.[5] The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$4.65 per month as of 2015, when used for rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.[6] In the United States the wholesale cost of a month of treatment is about US$25 as of 2020

That's old enough that there is no patent on the drug and I am sure many public domain synthesis paths: somebody might have a newer, better, cheaper way to make it which is patented, but there is no legal barrier to making it.

[DanBC]

Wikipedia is misquoting WHO.

> The core list presents a list of minimum medicine needs for a basic health-care system, listing the most efficacious, safe and cost–effective medicines for priority conditions. Priority conditions are selected on the basis of current and estimated future public health relevance, and potential for safe and cost-effective treatment.

WHO is saying "this medication is the safest medication available to treat malaria". It's definitely not saying "this medication is safe".

For chloroquine they say "* For use only for the treatment of P.vivax infection", so they're not even saying "this is the safest med for malaria", they're saying "for this one type of malaria this is the safest med".

[lisk1]

If you find it relevant you may also post this link in this thread related to Hydroxychloroquine trails, to give it more visibility https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22627714

[navjack27]

Sure dude, let's all make drugs at home... What could go wrong!?

[PaulHoule]

The other day the cops in my town were chasing somebody who was suspected of shoplifting at Wal-Mart and they found that he abandoned a small suitcase that contained a mini meth lab.

[mindcrime]

Does plain old quinine work as well? If so, could you either a. extract it from tonic water, or b. just drink tonic water?

[acallaghan]

Yeah this sounds like a really bad idea