The World Health Organization called for temporarily stopping trials on the antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine after numerous global experiments deemed it unsafe and potentially causing deaths.
According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general, due to the results of a recent study, they would pause hydroxychloroquine trials to prevent further harm to patients. The paper published in the medical journal, The Lancet, showed people taking the drug were put at a higher risk for heart complications and even death.
On Monday, Tedros said that they would impose the temporary halt of hydroxychloroquine trials while the data safety monitoring board reviewed and evaluated the drug's safety.
He added that the usage of the drug for patients with malaria and auto-immune diseases were still permitted. Furthermore, they claim only to halt the usage of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for treating COVID-19.
Meanwhile, other treatments in the WHO's solidarity trials are still being followed. Some of the drugs in the trial include remdesivir and a combination therapy used for treating HIV.
Countless trials are proceeding using the two drugs for COVID-19. However, neither proves to be counted as an appropriate treatment for the disease. The US National Institutes of Health is also currently working on trials to determine whether the drug, when administered with the azithromycin, can prevent severe effects from coronavirus infections.
Game Changer Turned into Possible Danger
Since the mid-1950s, hydroxychloroquine has been licensed for use in the US. Moreover, it is listed by the WHO as an essential medicine.
US President Trump has backed the use of hydroxychloroquine during the coronavirus pandemic despite the lack of evidence of its effectiveness. The president touted the drug as a 'game-changer' and said that he's been taking hydroxychloroquine himself to protect against the virus.
FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn previously reported that while clinical trials were ongoing to tell whether the drugs are safe and effective against COVID-19, harmful side effects of the medications should be considered.
Furthermore, health care professionals were given warnings to perform meticulous individual patient screening, monitoring, and decision-making to help diminish the likelihood of those risks.
Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that more than 27 percent of coronavirus patients died, compared to an 11.4 percent death rate in those who were not treated with the medications.
Increased Risk for Heart Problems and Death
On April 24, the US Food and Drug Administration issued concerns regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial. Due to reported risks of heart rhythm problems, they cautioned the use of the said drugs.
In the study where scientists used hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus patients, no benefit was determined. Furthermore, no advantage was seen whether the drug was used by itself or with a macrolide on in-hospital outcomes for COVID-19.
They reported that each of the drug regimens used in the study was correlated with a decreased chance of survival. Additionally, an increased frequency of heart conditions such as ventricular arrhythmias was determined when the drug was used for the treatment of COVID-19.
