Hydroxychloroquine Fails to Cure COVID-19 in Another Study

More Stumbles for Trump’s Favorite Coronavirus Treatment

Another study on the use of Hydroxychloquine (HCQ) as COVID-19 therapy was released on April 14th, and the results are not great. President Trump’s favorite anti-malarial medication had attracted excitement as a potential coronavirus treatment. This study is part of a series that have created doubt that HCQ is an effective therapy.

Researchers from France looked at 181 patients who were suffering from severe COVID-19. 84 received HCQ treatment within 48 hours of admission, while the remainder did not. Approximately 25% of both groups developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, 20% required care in the ICU, and 3% died. No clear difference could be seen between the treatment and control groups. These results strongly suggest that HCQ is not an effective therapy for severe COVID-19.

Beyond lacklustre performance as a therapeutic, HCQ appeared to cause serious side-effects. Of the 81 patients in the HCQ group, 8 showed signs of heart irregularities, requiring them to drop out of the study. Cardiac disorders are a known side-effect of HCQ, though it is unclear if the rates of heart issues are higher in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy individuals taking HCQ.