Banned in some countries, promoted in others -- the drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus is dividing opinion worldwide.
Banned in some countries, promoted in others — the drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus is dividing opinion worldwide.Scientists looking to find licenced medicines that could be repurposed as a treatment for COVID-19 had started tests of hydroxychloroquine, normally used to treat arthritis, and chloroquine, an anti-malarial.
Escalating the debate, The Lancet on May 22 published a study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients that showed no benefit in treating them with the two drugs – and even increased the likelihood of them dying in hospital. Hungary meanwhile does not use the drug “for newly diagnosed patients” but continues to do so “for patients who already started taking it”, according to a government spokesperson.Sweden had used the drug in the early phases of the pandemic to treat patients with severe symptoms, but halted its use in April after the European Medicines Agency recommended it only be used in clinical trials.
Russia, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have not yet suspended the use of the drug either, and in Iran recent social media posts of prescriptions show virus patients are still receiving it there.
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