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Hydroxychloroquine: Science or Scandal?
The White House is pressuring the FDA to reverse course and grant a second emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial medicine, to treat COVID-19.
President Trump has touted the anti-malarial drug as a “game-changer” and potential treatment for the coronavirus, and has said he was taking it himself to prevent infection.
After Trump publicly acknowledged his confidence in the medicine on April 6, the media was quick to criticize hydroxychloroquine, pointing out the possible dangers and side effects immediately overshadowing the potential of the 65-year-old anti-malarial drug.
At first, those fears seemed well-founded. A Lancet Study published on May 22, 2020, sparked global concerns over the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, despite the drug’s 65-year-old history as an antimalarial treatment.
The study led institutions such as the World Health Organization and National Institute of Health to halt their HCQ studies.
Soon after, France stopped using HCQ on COVID-19 patients, the United Kingdom cut clinical trials involving hydroxychloroquine, and other countries like Belgium and Italy joined suit.
On June 4, however, the top medical journal was forced to retract the study after serious questions were raised…