WHO to halt Trump-endorsed Hydroxychloroquine
26 May 2020
After conducting considerable trials in several countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to halt the use of Hydroxychloroquine, the acclaimed Trump-endorsed drug for the treatment of Covid-19.
The various medical studies conducted in this area have suggested that the drug could increase the risk of patients dying from Covid-19 due to cardiac problems.
Medical reports claim that Hydroxychloroquine is safe for malaria, and conditions like lupus or arthritis, but no clinical trials ever have recommended its use for treating Covid-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed its grave concern over the reports of self-medicating with Hydroxychloroquine and causing themselves serious problems including that related to the heart. Besides, it is reported that the UN health agency has informed that Hydroxychloroquine would be removed from those trials pending in this regard. The researchers also warned that Hydroxychloroquine should not be used outside of clinical trials.
The medical studies involved 96,000 coronavirus patients, it has been proved that nearly 15,000 of whom given Hydroxychloroquine or the related forms of Chloroquine, either likely to die in the hospital or developed cardiac complications.
The death rates of the treated groups were: Hydroxychloroquine 18%; Chloroquine 16.4%; control group 9%. Those treated with Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine in combination with antibiotics had an even higher death rate.
The US President Donald Trump recently said that he is taking Hydroxychloroquine to ward off Covid-19, even though health officials have warned it may be unsafe. But after taking the medication, the President said that “I’m taking it for about a week and a half now and I’m still here, I’m still here,”, “I’ve heard a lot of good stories about Hydroxychloroquine and if it’s not good, I’ll tell you right I’m not going to get hurt by it.”, the President added.
Though some people in the White House have tested positive for coronavirus, the president said again that he had “zero symptoms” and was being tested frequently.
Dr. Sean Conley, the official physician to the president, said in a statement issued through the White House recently that Mr. Trump was in “very good health” and “symptom-free”.
The US Navy officer in fact also concluded that after numerous discussions regarding the evidence for and against the use of Hydroxychloroquine, the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks as opined by some experts.
