WHO Drops Trial of Hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 Treatment over Safety Concerns

By Staff, Agencies

The World Health Organization [WHO] said tat it had "temporarily" suspended clinical trials of hydroxychloriquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 being carried out across a range of countries as a precautionary measure.

Hydroxycholoroquine has been touted by US President Donald Trump and others as a possible treatment for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Trump said he was taking the drug to help prevent infection.

The decision came after the publication last week of a study in the Lancet indicating that using the drug on COVID-19 patients could increase their likelihood of dying, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference, adding that the WHO-backed trials had been "suspended while the safety is reviewed."

He said the other arms of the trial - a major international initiative to hold clinical tests of potential treatments for the virus - were continuing.

The world body has previously recommended against using hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent coronavirus infections, except as part of clinical trials.