Geneva: The World Health Organization warned there is no evidence the anti-malarial drug that President Donald Trump said he took to prevent Covid-19 is actually an effective treatment or preventative against the virus.
The WHO suspended its trial of hydroxychloroquine on Monday while it reviews data on whether the drug is safe for use by Covid-19 patients. Recent studies into the drug have shown that it could exacerbate health conditions of Covid-19 patients and increase the risk of death.
“There is no empirical evidence at this point that these drugs work in this case either for treatment or for prophylaxis,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program. “We do not advise the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment of Covid-19 outside randomized control trials or under appropriate close clinical supervision subject to whatever national regulatory authorities have decided.”
