WHO suspends study of anti-COVID drug hydroxychloroquine over safety fears

AKIPRESS.COM - The World Health Organisation it is removing hydroxychloroquine from its global study of potential COVID-19 treatments while it carries out a review of its safety. Last week President Trump said he was taking the anti-malarial drug, which he has promoted as providing possible protection from coronavirus, despite warnings from health officials that it could cause heart problems.
The decision by the WHO to temporarily suspend hydroxychloroquine from its study follows a paper published in The Lancet last week which suggested it might actually increase the risk for COVID-19 patients.
In a study of 96,000 coronavirus patients, almost 15,000 were given hydroxychloroquine - or a related form chloroquine - either alone or with an antibiotic.
It found that the death rates for those being treated were: hydroxychloroquine 18%; chloroquine 16.4%; control group 9%. Those treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in combination with antibiotics had an even higher death rate.