Extraction of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine from different biological matrices

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ) are common antimalarial drugs with long half-lives. They are currently being tested as potential treatments for COVID-19.
Due to their high publicity in the media, many forensic toxicologists are working on developing methods to extract and detect these compounds in different matrices to understand the adverse effects, potential toxicity, and drug interactions associated with these drugs. These compounds are not typically included in general unknown screens. A simple sample preparation procedure that delivers clean extracts and analyte recovery greater than 90% for CQ and greater than 82% for HCQ with minimum matrix effects and high process efficiency was developed. 

Literature number: P224