Experts slam Trump’s ‘wonderdrug’
US President Donald Trump said it could be a ‘game changer’ in the fight against COVID-19. But a group of researchers have dashed hopes that an anti-malaria drug could beat the virus.
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It was heavily hyped by US President Donald Trump, but a group of international experts say there is little evidence that the anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine will be useful in the fight against coronavirus.
In an editorial that appeared in The Annals of Internal Medicine yesterday, an international group of researchers stated that the study backing the drug for treatment of COVID-19 was flawed in a number of ways, and its findings suffered from “simplification and probable overinterpretation … by the lay press and amplified on social media”.
Mr Trump had touted the possible benefits of the drug on social media and in press conferences, saying he had a “hunch” it could be a “game changer.”
“Hopefully they will … be put into use immediately,” he posted on Twitter to his 75 million followers. ” PEOPLE ARE DYING.”
The researchers said the president’s comments led to a run on the commercial availability of the drug, threatening the health of people who otherwise depended on it.
“Hydroxychloroquine is an essential treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and of systemic lupus erythematosus, reducing flares and preventing organ damage in the latter disease,” yesterday’s report stated. “Pharmacies have reported shortages of antimalarials and patients with rheumatic diseases have had difficulty obtaining prescription refills.”
The international experts said they welcome continuing trials of the drug for hospitalised patients.
Current shortages of the drug will limit its availability to patients with COVID-19 even if it turns out to work, the researchers stated, but also represent a real risk to patients with rheumatic diseases who currently depend on it.
Originally published as Experts slam Trump’s ‘wonderdrug’