Rio de Janeiro (AFP)
Since announcing that he had tested positive for Covid-19, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly praised the merits of hydroxychloroquine, the controversial drug that makes him "feel better".
What we check
The announcement of the positive test took place Tuesday, with some television channels. During this interview, Jair Bolsonaro, 65, also revealed that "because of the symptoms" - from fatigue and 38 degrees of fever - his medical team had prescribed hydroxychloroquine for him.
"I am taking my third dose, I feel very well. I was not doing very well on Sunday, I was in pain on Monday, but today I am doing better than Saturday," he said, smiling a few hours later in a video posted on Facebook.
"So that's for sure, it works!", He assured, before swallowing a tablet with a glass of water and concluding: "I trust hydroxychloroquine, and you?"
Taking his role as the sales representative for the drug, also touted by US President Donald Trump - who said he took it as a precaution in May - to heart, he insisted on Wednesday, with another message on social media.
"I regret to inform those who are against hydroxychloroquine that I am very well thanks to her and that, thank God, I will live a long time," he said.
Like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro has already touted the merits of hydroxychloroquine for several weeks, even requiring that it be officially recommended by the Ministry of Health, including for patients with mild symptoms.
The Brazilian army has been mobilized to produce hundreds of thousands of tablets in its pharmaceutical laboratory.
But what do scientific studies say about it?
What we know
A drug used for a long time against malaria and diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, hydroxychloroquine was one of the first to be considered for a possible treatment against the coronavirus.
But in early June, clinical tests from the University of Minnesota concluded that it was ineffective in preventing Covid-19 infection.
"This randomized trial did not demonstrate a significant benefit of hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic treatment after exposure to Covid-19," concluded the authors.
On June 15, the United States Medicines Agency (FDA) withdrew authorization to use hydroxychloroquine in an emergency.
"It is no longer reasonable to believe that oral administration of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine is effective in the treatment of Covid-19," FDA chief scientist Denise Hinton said in a letter.
"Nor is it reasonable to believe that the known and potential benefits of these products exceed their known and potential risk," she said, referring to possibly serious side effects, including heart risks.
France, where a controversial doctor, Professor Didier Raoult, defended and shone the spotlight on hydroxychloroquine, banned its use on May 28 against Covid-19.
On June 17, WHO decided to stop clinical trials on hydroxychloroquine, saying that it "does not result in a reduction in the mortality of these patients".
Jair Bolsonaro also revealed that his treatment combined hydroxychloroquine with an antibiotic, azithromycin.
A method advocated by Dr. Raoult, who has made public several studies showing, according to him, its effectiveness. Results disputed by many scientists.
Fiocruz, a benchmark public health institute in Brazil, explains on its site that "azithromycin, being an antibiotic, it does not attack the virus. Antibiotics are indicated only against bacteria".
What we can conclude
Even though President Bolsonaro says his health has improved since taking hydroxychloroquine, this claim is not supported by any compelling scientific evidence.
© 2020 AFP