The World Health Organization says that it is ending an effort to if anti-malaria medication hydroxychloroquine helps patients hospitalised with COVID-19. WHO said on July 4 that it has"accepted that the recommendation" from the committee overseeing the trial to stop testing of hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir, a medication combination used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. The drugs were being compared with conventional care for hospitalized patients.
WHO says a review of these interim results demonstrated hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir"produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in comparison with standard of care."
The agency also adds that while there wasn't any"solid evidence" of greater mortality for hospitalized patients given the drugs, '' there have been"some associated safety signs in the clinical lab findings" of a related trial.
WHO claims that the decision won't affect possible trials on patients that are not hospitalized, or on people receiving the drugs before potential exposure into the coronavirus or briefly afterward.