WHO Stops Arm Analyzing Hydroxychloroquine Against COVID-19

A pharmacist shows a bottle of the drug hydroxychloroquine in Oakland, Calif., on April 6, 2020. Ben Margot/AP Photo

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday it’s stopping an arm of a clinical trial that was analyzing hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19.

The trial’s executive group and principal investigators made the decision based on evidence from a separate trial in the United Kingdom which recently found hydroxychloroquine had no impact on mortality from the new disease.

A review of other evidence on hydroxychloroquine also informed the decision, WHO said in a statement.

The data “showed that hydroxychloroquine does not result in the reduction of mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, when compared with standard of care,” it said.

No further patients will be enrolled in the trial arm but patients who already started taking hydroxychloroquine and haven’t finished their treatment course can complete their course if they want.

The decision doesn’t apply to the use or evaluation of the drug in pre- or post-exposure prophylaxis in patients exposed to COVID-19, a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Hydroxychloroquine was approved decades ago for use in multiple countries for ailments including malaria.

The WHO stopped enrolling in the hydroxychloroquine last month based on a study that was later retracted. WHO resumed enrollment earlier in June.

Like most studies and trials involving the drug, it was analyzed without combining it with azithromycin, an antibiotic, and zinc, a combination experts have told The Epoch Times is crucial to effectiveness against COVID-19.

Major clinical trials in the United States analyzing hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness and safety are ongoing.