There is no evidence that people's lives have been saved by taking anti-malarial drugs. There are people who took the drug and said they felt better. There are people who died who took the drug, and we don't know if the drug was ineffective or if they died of heart failure because of the drug.

Controlled studies are needed. A large one has already commenced at the University of Minnesota, which is enrolling hundreds of patients. They will track whether the drug shortens the duration and severity of the disease, AND any adverse effects. That's what a controlled study does.

In the meantime, to make the claim that the drug is "saving lives" is not supported by evidence.

When someone repeats an untruth enough times, people believe it.
Don't believe this yet, and don't believe "evidence" offered by the quack doctor in France and this Dr. Smith, who claim that chloroquine works, but the reason they can make those claims is that they simply eliminate data from everyone who didn't survive the disease, or in the case of Dr. Smith, those who ended up in the hospital -- or died.

I'll be happy and relieved if the benefits of the anti-malarial drugs are found to outweigh the risks. It may be that they are suitable for some patients and not others, and there will be factors that determine whether that's the right drug or not.

I'm more hopeful for Remdesivir, which doesn't have potentially fatal arrhythmia as a common complication. But again, we have to wait for clinical trials on that one.