A box of hydroxychloroquine. (illustration) - David J. Phillip / AP / SIPA

Three of the four authors of the controversial study published in The Lancet on the use of hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19 asked for the withdrawal of the article, announced the review The Lancet Thursday evening. "We can no longer vouch for the veracity of the sources of the primary data", write the three authors to Lancet , questioning the refusal of the company having collected them, led by the fourth author, to give access to the database of data.

Published May 22 in The Lancet , the study concluded that hydroxychloroquine is not beneficial to hospitalized Covid-19 patients and may even be harmful. Its publication had a worldwide impact and spectacular repercussions, pushing in particular the WHO (World Health Organization) to suspend clinical trials on hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19. But finally, after many criticisms calling into question the methodology of the study, including on behalf of scientists skeptical on the interest of the hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19, the WHO announced Wednesday the resumption of clinical trials with this molecule.

A problem with database transparency

Critics particularly questioned the data on which the study was based (96,000 patients hospitalized between December and April in 671 hospitals, collected) collected by the American company Surgisphere, headed by the fourth author Sapan Desai. "We launched an independent analysis of Surgisphere with the agreement of Sapan Desai to assess the origin of the elements of the database, confirm that it was complete and replicate the analyzes presented in the article", write the other three authors in text published by The Lancet .

But Surgisphere having refused to transfer the database due to confidentiality agreements with its customers (the hospitals responsible for the data), the experts commissioned "could not conduct an independent review and informed us of their withdrawal of the peer review process, ”they add.

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  • Health
  • Didier raoult
  • Coronavirus
  • study
  • Covid 19