Once perceived as the “miracle” treatment for curing Covid-19, hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial treatment notably promoted by Professor Didier Raoult, has since seen its effectiveness brought into question.
An American study, conducted on over 1,300 patients, showed that this treatment provides neither benefit nor harm in the case of a Covid-19 infection. Already, at the end of March, the ANSM warned about the side effects of the treatment, which can lead to heart problems.
Two new studies, published in the British medical journal BMJ (British Medical Journal), have confirmed the ineffectiveness of the treatment based on chloroquine.
The first study*, conducted by French researchers, concludes that hydroxychloroquine does not significantly reduce the risks of admission to intensive care or death among hospitalized patients with pneumonia due to Covid-19.
The second study, conducted this time by Chinese researchers, shows that this treatment does not eliminate the virus faster than standard treatments in patients hospitalized with a “mild” or “moderate” form of Covid-19 and causes significant side effects.
These two studies therefore confirm that this treatment seems ineffective. “Taken together, these results do not support the use of hydroxychloroquine as a routine treatment for patients with Covid-19,” concludes the British medical journal BMJ, which published the two studies.
