Hydroxychloroquine: WHO stops clinical tests

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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The malaria drug was considered a beacon of hope in the fight against Corona.Now the WHO wants to stop the tests: The drug is "probably ineffective".

International researchers want to stop tests with the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 sufferers. The World Health Organization (WHO) justified the step on Wednesday, June 17, citing test results.

"No more patients will take part in the study", the WHO announced on its website on Wednesday (May 17). "Patients who are still in the study can stop taking it at the discretion of their doctor".

Suspended, recorded, discontinued

Hydroxychloroquine was part of a WHO coordinated research series involving more than 3,500 patients in 35 countries. It is examined whether various existing drugs against malaria, HIV, Ebola and multiple sclerosis have an effect against Covid-19.

After a report in the journal "The Lancet" (houseofgoldhealthproducts reported) that hydroxychloroquine could possibly increase the death rate, the experiments were temporarily suspended at the end of May. However, the Journal later withdrew the study and the WHO gave the go-ahead for testing to continue in early June.

Revoke the exemption

Above all, US President Donald Trump had promoted the anti-malarial drug. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued an exemption for hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of Covid-19 diseases. On Monday, the FDA revoked its exemption. In view of the previous scientific findings, it was "unlikely" that hydroxychloroquine would be effective in the treatment of lung disease, it said.

In addition, the use of the drug has "serious" side effects, including heart problems, according to the FDA. Several studies had previously documented the side effects, but found no significant evidence of the drug's effectiveness.

The regular approval of the drug for malaria and for the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases is not affected by the revocation of the exemption for Covid treatments. (caf / dpa)

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