WHO Suspends Hydroxychloroquine Trials After Studies Show Risks for COVID-19 Patients

In a press statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recalled that a recent study published on Friday in the medical journal The Lancet found chloroquine and its derivative, hydroxychloroquine, to be "ineffective" and even "harmful" against covid-19. It would increase the risk of death and cardiac arrhythmia.

Two other studies, one French and one Chinese, also support the fact that this drug has become ineffective on patients with covid-19. It could be harmful and associated with an increased risk of heart problems, especially for those at an advanced stage of the disease.

These two studies published last week conclude that the results are not satisfactory enough to judge the effectiveness of this chloroquine derivative. They also specify that the promising results observed in vitro are not conclusive in vivo.

Chloroquine and its derivative, hydroxychloroquine, have become even more popular since US President Donald Trump announced that he was taking it himself on a daily basis to protect himself against covid-19. In addition, several countries, especially in Africa, have already democratized the use of this drug due to its relatively low cost.

In reaction to the study conducted by The Lancet on chloroquine, Prof. Didier Raoult denounces a "sloppy study made with big data". "I don’t know if elsewhere hydroxychloroquine kills, but here it saves a lot of people," he added on BFM TV.