generalspeaking

The Jury Has Declared Its Finding

"Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, often in combination with a second-generation macrolide, are being widely used for treatment of COVID-19, despite no conclusive evidence of their benefit." "Although generally safe when used for approved indications such as autoimmune disease or malaria, the safety and benefit of these treatment regimens are poorly evaluated in COVID-19."
"Urgent confirmation from randomized clinical trials is needed."
"We were unable to confirm a benefit of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, when used alone or with a macrolide, on in-hospital outcomes for COVID-19. Each of these drug regimens was associated with decreased in-hospital survival and an increased frequency of ventricular arrhythmias when used for treatment of COVID-19."
"We found no evidence of benefit of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine when used either alone or with a macrolide. Previous evidence was derived from either small anecdotal studies or inconclusive small randomised trials. Our study included a large number of patients across multiple geographic regions and provides the most robust real-world evidence to date on the usefulness of these treatment regimens. Although observational studies cannot fully account for unmeasured confounding factors, our findings suggest not only an absence of therapeutic benefit but also potential harm with the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine drug regimens (with or without a macrolide) in hospitalised patients with COVID-19."
Professor Mandeep R.Mehra, MD, Sapan S.Desaj, MD, Professor Frank Ruschitzka, MD, Amit N.Patel, MD -- The Lancet

Associated Press

According to a large study published in the medical journal The Lancet, on May 22, malaria drug hydroxychloroquine has been linked with increased risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The world is very well aware that U.S.President Donald Trump personally gave assurances that the anti-malarial drug is effective against COVID-19, praising its merits as a "game-changer" and unabashedly and casually stating that he uses the drug himself. He would do so, as president of the United States, under the careful administration of a medical specialist.

This, despite other than for a discredited brief study undertaken by a French physician lauding the drug for its perceived usefulness in defending against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, most medical scientists believe it to be potentially harmful, and that its imputed beneficial effects have never been proven. The two anti-malarial drugs are currently undergoing rigorous research in a number of studies across the world, just to leave no potential 'stones' unturned.

The Lancet study took in over 96,000 people who were hospitalized with COVID-19. And those treated with hydroxychloroquinte or the related chloroquine were seen to have a higher risk of death than those patients not prescribed the medicines. Whether taking the drug resulted in benefit in coronavirus patients, the authors stated they were unable to confirm. Patients hospitalized with COVID are there because they have acquired a severe case of COVID.

The drugs' proponents view the medicines a treatment for the disease in the belief that the drugs may require use at an earlier stage, to be effective. Ongoing, randomized, controlled clinical trials studying the drugs' effectiveness in preventing infection by the novel coronavirus, along with treatment of mild to moderate COVID are proceeding with the expectation that results of those trials may be available within weeks.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In the interim, demand for hydroxychloroquine has mounted, influenced in large part by Mr. Trump's cavalier and enthusiastic statements of belief in its miraculous powers of resistance against COVID. "What have you got to lose?",he speculated. Perhaps only their lives. The authors of The Lancet study suggested not to use the medicines in treatment of COVID-19 other than in clinical trials, until the ongoing studies confirm safety and efficacy for COVID patients.

Hydroxychloroquine, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, should be used only for hospitalized COVID-19 patients or those taking part as subjects in clinical trials, since the drug has been linked with dangerous heart rhythm conditions. Data from 671 hospitals where 14,888 patients were given either chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine along with or without an antibiotic, and 81,144 patients not treated with those drugs were included in The Lancet study.

In laboratory settings, both the drugs indicated evidence of effectiveness against the coronavirus, yet studies of the drugs in patients have been inconclusive. And while several small studies in Europe and China, criticized for their lack of scientific rigour, spurred interest in the use of the drugs in COVID-19, several more recent studies showed no indication the drugs could be viewed as an effective treatment for the disease.