Scientists have linked the death of 17 thousand COVID patients to a malaria drug

At the beginning of the covid pandemic , patients were prescribed hydroxychloroquine, which led to the death of almost 17 thousand people in six countries, scientists say . The Russian Ministry of HEALTH excluded it from recommendations only in the spring of 2021

About 16.9 thousand people in six countries - France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United States - could have died from taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine during the first wave of the CORONAVIRUS pandemic . French researchers came to this conclusion; the results of their study were published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

Hydroxychloroquine was prescribed “despite the lack of evidence to support its clinical benefit,” the scientists pointed out. They relied on estimates published in 2021 in the journal Nature that found the use of hydroxychloroquine increased deaths by 11% due to heart rhythm disturbances and other side effects. The death toll may be significantly higher because the study only covers the period from March to July 2020, when hydroxychloroquine was prescribed most frequently.

In addition to treating malaria, hydroxychloroquine is also prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and some other autoimmune diseases

The WHO stopped trials of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID in June 2020 after heart problems were discovered in some patients. At the same time, the US regulator revoked the emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, a related anti-malarial drug, after experts found they could have dangerous side effects.

The Russian Ministry of Health then did not exclude hydroxychloroquine from recommendations for the treatment of COVID, reporting effective use in small doses in patients with mild and moderate forms of COVID. At the same time, the department admitted that the mechanism of action of hydroxychloroquine has not been fully studied. The Ministry of Health recommended stopping hydroxychloroquine only in May 2021.

Donald Trump , who served as US President at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, talked about taking hydroxychloroquine daily as a preventive measure against COVID. “What do you have to lose? Take [this medicine],” Trump advised.