Published 05:11 IST, July 18th 2020
Hydroxychloroquine found ineffective on COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms: Study
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an anti-Malaria drug that has long been endorsed by US President Donald Trump as a cure for COVID-19, despite lack of medical proof.
- Science News
- 2 min read
A recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota has revealed that Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) offers no benefit to COVID-19 infected patients with mild symptoms. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-Malaria drug that has long been endorsed by US President Donald Trump as a cure for COVID-19, even though no study has shown the drug to have any effect on the virus.
HCQ has no effect on mild COVID-19
As per reports, an article published in The Annals of Internal Medicine Journal states that the anti-malaria drug showed no decrease in the severity of symptoms in non-hospitalised coronavirus patients. The researchers involved in the study divided participants into two groups, one group was given the anti-malaria drug while the other group was simply given a placebo.
According to reports, after being backed by Trump, general interest around the anti-malaria drug, which has been on the market for close to a year, saw a steep increase.
However, several studies, including this one conducted at the University of Minnesota, have shown that the drug has no real effects on COVID-19 patients. Most researchers have stopped pinning their hopes on HCQ and moved on in their quest to finding a cure for COVID-19.
WHO halts Hydroxychloroquine trial
Earlier, World Health Organisation (WHO) had announced that that it was halting the trials of hydroxychloroquine and combination of HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir, which are aimed at finding a vaccine or treatment for the deadly coronavirus. According to reports, the WHO decided to stop testing these drugs after they did not show an improvement in the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients.
In a statement, the UN health body stated that the trials have shown that hydroxychloroquine does not have any effect on patients and produces little to no difference in the mortality rates of patients. The deadly coronavirus pandemic which began in China last year has infected over 14 million people and killed 598,367 people across the globe. Multiple companies across the globe are involved in the race to find a vaccine for COVID-19.
Updated 05:11 IST, July 18th 2020