Hydroxychloroquine shown to cause higher risk of death in COVID-19 patients — Study
Hydroxychloroquine which President Donald J Trump as always touted as a solution to coronavirus is not as effective after all, according to an observational study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients who received antimalarial drugs-including hydroxychloroquine.
The study found that the patients on whom the drug was applied had an increased risk of death or cardiac issue called ventricular tachycardia and possible cardiac arrest.
The findings, published yesterday in medical journal, The Lancet, surveyed 96,000 coronavirus patients across six continents.
NEW Research—No evidence of benefit for #chloroquine and #hydroxychloroquine in #COVID19 patients, urgent randomised trials are needed: finding from a large observational study of nearly 15,000 patients with #COVID19 & 81,000 controls https://t.co/P4YbYVhRDZ
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— The Lancet (@TheLancet) May 22, 2020
It is regarded the biggest analysis yet of the use of antimalarial drugs to treat Covid-19.
The report showed that the risk of death was 34% higher in patients who received hydroxychloroquine.
They also had a 137% higher risk of developing heart arrhythmia.
The risks rose higher for patients who took hydroxychloroquine with an antibiotic especially azithromycin :45% risk of death and 411% risk of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
Experts said yesterday that although The Lancet findings emerged only from an analysis of medical records and not from a controlled study, the size of the analysis offers scientists a basis to conclude that the drug can cause more harm than good if used to treat coronavirus.
There is little evidence yet that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine is effective in the treatment of COVID-19 .
