What You Need to Know About This New Hydroxychloroquine Study [Updated]
Editor’s Note: This article originally described a study published on May 22, which was later withdrawn on June 5 due to concerns over the integrity of the data set used by the researchers. The disclaimer can be found on the Lancet website .
In the past few months, there has been intense debate over the drug hydroxychloroquine, which has been touted as a miracle cure for COVID-19. The hype around the drug has arisen despite the lack of conclusive evidence of its effectiveness against COVID-19, as well as concerns about serious side effects.
Chloroquine and its related drug hydroxychloroquine , best known as antimalarial drugs, are also used in the treatment of autoimmune conditions such as lupus. Both drugs are known to have toxicity problems. The hype surrounding hydroxychloroquine began with a preprint published in March saying it could be an effective treatment for COVID-19.
The study was withdrawn due to concerns over the dataset.
A large study of patients treated with hydroxychloroquine, published May 22 in the medical journal Lancet, was withdrawn on June 5. This withdrawn study enrolled 96,032 patients from 671 hospitals, all of whom were admitted to hospital between December 20, 2019 and April 14, 2020. Of these patients, 14,888 were in different treatment groups, and the remaining 81,144 patients served as controls. group.
In the recall letter, the authors wrote that they were unable to validate the dataset they were using, which meant that “peer reviewers could not conduct independent and private peer review” and therefore the authors “could no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.”
This rebuttal is an unfortunate turn of events on an already obscure topic. However, it should still be noted that this reduction still does not mean that we have evidence that hydroxychloroquine is safe or effective for treating COVID-19. Initial concerns about its safety as well as its effectiveness remain valid.
Lack of evidence hasn’t prevented the hype
In a world that made sense, the lack of evidence would have been enough to stop all talk of hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19. However, this is not the world we live in, and we probably didn’t hear about this drug the last time.
Evidence for the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19 has always been limited at best. The earliest study that suggested it might be beneficial was problematic because it was small and excluded from the study patients who became seriously ill or died. Following this early study, many experts raised their concerns, including the FDA, which cautioned against the use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine outside of hospital or in clinical trials. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also stressed that the evidence supporting its use is only anecdotal .
Even with all these concerns, hydroxychloroquine is still touted as a miracle drug, and the hype has undoubtedly fueled reports of hydroxychloroquine shortages in patients who need it to treat conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis; the news of a married couple in Arizona who became terminally ill from eating fish food containing chloroquine phosphate ; a protester in isolation insults a TV journalist , saying: “No, I got hydroxychloroquine, everything is fine”; and on May 18, President Trump announced that he was taking daily doses of hydroxychloroquine . Like many other problems, the idea of hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19 has taken on a life of its own and is very difficult to combat.
We still need more proof
While the fact that there is still controversy about the use of hydroxychloroquine by now may not make much sense to people who have followed the controversy closely, to someone who did not, these conversations are confusing and disheartening at best. anxiety. at worst.
For those still undecided, this latest study is another source of confusion. However, even in the midst of this confusion, it is still important to remember that there is still no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19.
Editor’s Note: This article was last updated on 6/16/2020 to include a review of a study published on May 22.