WHO to resume suspended hydroxychloroquine trials for Covid-19 treatment

Issued on: 03/06/2020 – 20:20Modified: 03/06/2020 – 20:20

The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine will resume as it searches for potential coronavirus treatments.

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On May 25, the WHO announced it had temporarily suspended the trials to conduct a safety review, which has now concluded there is “no reason” to change the way the trials are conducted.

The UN health agencys decision came after a study published in The Lancet medical journal suggesting the drug could increase the risk of death among Covid-19 patients.

The executive group of the so-called Solidarity Trial – in which hundreds of hospitals across the world have enrolled patients to test several possible treatments for the novel coronavirus – took the decision as a precaution.

Hydroxychloroquine is normally used to treat arthritis but public figures including US President Donald Trump have backed the drug for Covid-19 prevention and treatment, prompting governments to bulk-buy.

“Last week, the executive group of the Solidarity Trial decided to implement a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm of the trial, because of concerns raised about the safety of the drug,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news briefing.

“This decision was taken as a precaution while the safety data were reviewed.

“The data safety and monitoring committee of the Solidarity Trial has been reviewing the data.

“On the basis of the available mortality data, theRead More – Source