The Controversial Rise and Fall of Hydroxychloroquine: Myths, Realities, and Impact on COVID-19 Mortality

2024-01-04 07:53:38

Hydroxychloroquine: undoubtedly, never has a drug aroused so many emotions. Expectations, disappointed hopes, unrealistic beliefs, and uses without prior conclusive clinical trial, except in vitro and in extravagant doses.

Used at the start of the pandemic, during the first wave, by European and non-European hospitals, then abandoned by most due to lack of results, this molecule, in principle intended to treat malaria and autoimmune rheumatic diseases, was once more acclaimed by certain practitioners, throughout the crisis.

Today, we know the damage, at least for patients hospitalized between March and July 2020, in hospitals in six countries including Belgium. A study published by a Lyon team estimates the number of deaths attributed to hydroxychloroquine at 16,990 during this period and under these conditions.

To estimate the excess mortality attributed to the so-called “compassionate” use of hydroxychloroquine in the context of Covid-19 – that is to say a use allowing the therapeutic use of drugs without marketing authorization ( AMM) for patients “in therapeutic impasse” – the authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies in Belgium, Turkey, France, Italy, Spain and the United States.

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