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A new study conducted at the US Veterans Health Administration medical centres and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia has revealed that there is higher death rate from coronavirus patients treated with the anti-malaria drug; hydroxychloroquine, recommended by US President, Donald Trump.
The research, which is yet to be certified by peer review, showed that out of 308 patients studied in the US, it was observed that 97 patients who took hydroxychloroquine had a death rate of 27.8 percent while 158 patients who did not take the drug had an 11.4% death rate.
The study also discovered that about 22% of those taking the drug in addition to azithromycin also died, though the difference with this category and those under usual care was not considered “large enough” to rule out other factors that could have affected their recovery.
“An association of increased overall mortality was identified in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine alone.
“These findings highlight the importance of awaiting the results of ongoing prospective, randomized, controlled studies before widespread adoption of these drugs.
“In this study, we found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalized with Covid-19.” The findings stated.
Recall that Trump had recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment, describing it as a ‘game changer’.
