WHO suspends trial of hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment

Using the drug on COVID-19 patients could increase their likelihood of dying: WHO

Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday that it had “temporarily” suspended clinical trials of hydroxychloriquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 being carried out across a range of countries as a precautionary measure.

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The decision came after the publication last week of a study in the Lancet indicating that the using the drug on COVID-19 patients could increase their likelihood of dying, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference, adding that the WHO-backed trials had been “suspended while the safety is reviewed.”