Dozens of scientists have published an open letter expressing their "concerns" over the methods of the large study published in The Lancet , which led to the suspension of clinical trials on hydroxychloroquine. Released on May 22, the study is based on data from some 96,000 patients hospitalized between December and April in 671 hospitals, and compares the condition of those who received treatment with that of patients who did not.
She concludes that the controversial hydroxychloroquine does not seem to be beneficial for Covid patients and could even be harmful. The repercussions of this study "led many researchers around the world to examine in detail the publication in question," write the authors of the open letter published Thursday evening. "This review raised both methodological and data integrity concerns," they point out before making a long list of problematic points, of the authors' refusal to give access to the data in the absence of '' Ethical review '.
Prestigious signatories
Noting that the media coverage of this study has caused "considerable concern among patients and participants" in clinical trials, they call for the establishment by the World Health Organization (WHO) or another institution, "independent and respected ”, from a group responsible for conducting an independent analysis of the study's conclusions. Among the signatories to this open letter are clinicians, statisticians and other researchers from around the world, from Harvard to Imperial College London.
"I have serious doubts about the benefits of a chloroquine / hydroxychloroquine treatment against Covid-19 and I can't wait for this story to end, but I believe that the integrity of the research cannot be invoked only when an article does not go in the direction of our preconceptions, commented on Twitter Professor François Balloux, of University College London.
Also, "it was with a heavy heart that I added my name to the open letter," he added. Among the signatories is also the French Philippe Parola, collaborator of Pr Didier Raoult in Marseille, French promoter of hydroxychloroquine who largely contributed to popularize this treatment. The publication of the Lancet study last week led the WHO to “temporarily” suspend, as a precaution, the inclusion of new patients in clinical trials with hydroxychloroquine, carried out with its partners in several countries. And France has decided to ban the molecule to treat Covid-19.
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