Neither the famous chloroquine nor its derivative hydroxychloroquine is effective against Covid-19. Worse: their administration would even be dangerous for the sick, according to the conclusions of a study published Friday in The Lancet , a prestigious British medical journal. Carried out on nearly 15,000 patients, it is the "first large-scale study" to show "robust statistical evidence" that these two treatments "do not benefit patients with Covid-19", said in a press release the Doctor Mandeep Mehra.
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A study of 15,000 patients
The study analyzed data from approximately 96,000 coronavirus infected patients admitted to 671 hospitals between December 20, 2019 and April 14, 2020, discharged or deceased since. Among them, 15,000 had been treated with different combinations based on chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
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With chloroquine, the risk of death increases
For the authors, with this treatment, the risk of mortality greatly increases. It can be up to 45% higher in treated patients than in patients who already have risk factors. Scientists have also discovered that heart rhythm problems are more common with taking these molecules. The causal link is not directly proven, however. The authors therefore request an "urgent" confirmation via clinical trials.
These treatments do not improve the condition of patients
For them, the statistical evidence is robust: these treatments do not improve the condition of the patients. They therefore recommend that they not be administered outside of clinical trials, while several countries like Brazil are betting on their use.
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Stressing that preliminary small-scale studies have already "failed to identify robust evidence of benefit" from these two treatments, "we now know with our study that the chances of improving" the condition of Covid-19 patients with chloroquine "are rather thin", writes Frank Ruschitzka, of the university hospital center of Zurich, coauthor of the study.