Drug touted by Trump to treat COVID-19 linked to higher death risk: study

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine/drug-touted-by-trump-to-treat-covid-19-linked-to-higher-death-risk-study-idUSKBN22Y1UW

Michael Erman, Ankur Banerjee
May 22, 2020 / 9:15 AM


The anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which U.S. President Donald Trump says he has been taking and has urged others to use, was tied to an increased risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a large study published on Friday showed.

In the study here that looked at more than 96,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, those treated with hydroxychloroquine or the related chloroquine had higher risk of death and heart rhythm problems than patients who were not given the medicines.

The study, published in the Lancet medical journal, showed no benefit for coronavirus patients taking the drugs.

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