France bans use of hydroxychloroquine, drug touted by Trump, to treat coronavirus

Hydroxychloroquine had been approved for use in seriously ill patients, but the latest large-scale research shows it could do more harm than good.

Paris — France has banned the use of the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat people with COVID-19, the diseased caused by the new coronavirus. The move follows the publication of initial findings from a large-scale study that found the drug offered no benefit to patients, and could in fact be harmful.

The Lancet medical journal reported on May 22 that the observational study on nearly 100,000 patients from multiple countries found a higher mortality rate and an increased frequency of irregular heartbeats in patients who were given hydroxychloroquine.

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France’s health minister responded to the findings the next day by asking the French High Council for Public Health (HCSP) to review the situation, and it recommended halting the use of the drug

Source: France bans use of hydroxychloroquine, drug touted by Trump, to treat coronavirus – CBS News