New Delhi: The repeated use of anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients in the US has increased the risk of their deaths, a study published in the Lancet medical journal showed.
The study focused on over 96,000 people hospitalised with COVID-19 who reported respiratory disease. As per the results, patients who were given Hydroxychloroquine had a higher risk of death and heart rhythm problems than patients who were not treated with the medicine.
While the drug has shown no improvement in infected patients, US President Donald Trump has been emphasising its use against any scientific evidence.
Besides this, the US Food and Drug Administration has authorised the use of medicine under emergency but not approved the drug.
“Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine should not be used to treat COVID-19 outside of clinical trials until studies confirm their safety and efficacy in such patients,” the study authors suggested.
“The FDA should withdraw that authorisation. That will help move this towards more, stronger evidence because it will then force the use of these drugs only in the setting of control trials,” a study author told Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, several studies are underway to check the effectiveness of the drug in treating mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.
Also Read: 8 COVID-19 Vaccines In Clinical Trial: WHO
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