Study: Hydroxycholoroquine May Have Killed Thousands Of COVID Patients

A new study by French researchers has found nearly 17K people may have died after taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxycholoroquine during the early months of the COVID pandemic. https://twitter.com/POLITICOEurope/status/1742931795673481387 From Politico:

The anti-malaria drug was prescribed to some patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, “despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits,” the researchers point out in their paper, published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

Now, researchers have estimated that some 16,990 people in six countries — France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the U.S. — may have died as a result.

In fact, they say the figure may be far higher given the study only concerns six countries from March to July 2020, when the drug was prescribed much more widely.

In April 2020, a study at Veterans Health Administration medical centers found the drug had “no benefit” for those diagnosed with the virus. In fact, there were more deaths among those who received the drug versus standard care. By June 2020, the FDA had pulled emergency authorizations for using hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 due to concerns about effectiveness and safety. And yet, Donald Trump continued to champion the anti-malaria drug at the time, telling people, “What do you have to lose? Take it.” I guess now we know… https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1742971797841273322