'Decision to suspend HCQ trial taken in haste; WHO should've analysed data,' says CSIR

Shortly after the World Health Organisation (WHO) allowed the resumption of the Hydroxychloroquine solidarity trial, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) Director-General (DG) remarked that the organisation's decision to suspend trials in the first place was 'taken in a haste'.  

In a major decision, World Health Organisation (WHO)'s Executive Group, on Wednesday allowed resuming all solidarity trials, including the one on Hydroxychloroquine, announced WHO director Dr.Tedros. CSIR DG, Shekhar C Mande stated that while they were 'happy' that the HCQ trials had resumed, the WHO should have analysed the data on their own before making the decision to suspend the trials in the first place. 

Read: India Disagrees With WHO's Suspension Of HCQ Trials, Says 'not All Reports Considered'

ICMR & Health Ministry write to WHO

Shortly after the suspension of HCQ trails, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had written to WHO expressing their disagreement over the suspension saying that the primary point of their difference in opinion was the dosage standards between Indian and international trials which would explain the efficacy issues of HCQ in treating COVID-19 patients. The Health Ministry had also written to WHO stating that all reports regarding HCQ had not been considered yet.

On Wednesday Dr Tedros remarked that based on available mortality data, the members of the committee recommended that there are no reasons to modify the trial protocol and that all solidarity trials would now be resumed. So far, more than 3500 patients have been recruited in 35 countries for the solidarity trial. On May 25, the same group had decided to temporarily pause the Hydroxychlorine (HCQ) trial while the data collected so far is reviewed. 

This development comes days after India's Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan took over as WHO Executive Board Chairman at the 147th session of the WHO Executive Board, held virtually. India was among 10 nations that were elected by the 73rd World Health Assembly to the Executive Board of the WHO for a period of three years. The same board met on Saturday and has decided to pause the trial as data gets reviewed by the Safety Monitoring Board and now has allowed resuming the trials.

Read: ICMR Disagrees With WHO's Suspension Of HCQ Trials, Cites 'vast Difference' In Dosage

Read: WHO Executive Group Allows Resuming Solidarity Trial On HCQ, A Week After Pausing It

(With Agency Inputs)