Even though many researchers suggest that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in treating COVID-19 patients, a recent study has revealed that the drug promoted by US President Donald Trump may actually play an essential role in reducing the impact of the virus. The paper was published on the 1st of July in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The study took 2541 patients infected with the deadly virus and analyzed the impact of treatment with hydroxychloroquine. The results showed that this substance plays a significant role, reducing the mortality rate.
In addition to this, the study revealed a second treatment and its impact on the patients, azithromycin. According to scientists, the average mortality rate was 26.4%. When treated with azithromycin, the mortality rate dropped at 22.4%. When azithromycin was combined with hydroxychloroquine, the mortality rate reached 20.1%. What is even more interesting is that hydroxychloroquine alone brought a mortality rate of 13.5%.
After publishing the results, neurologist Steven Kalkanis, the headmaster of Henry Ford Medical Group, has declared that his research proved that hydroxychloroquine is a crucial factor in saving lives. Dr. Marcus Zervos, division heat of Infectious Disease department at the same center, has underlined that their research is peer-reviewed and highly analyzed, offering a proper insight into the matter, given the fact that it brings a mix of interventions and substances.
Even though the study showed promising results, Zervos warned that there are still many factors to be considered when it comes to the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine. Other researchers suggest that the findings are not straight to the point.
According to the World Health Organization research posted on the 4th of July, the use of hydroxychloroquine in treating patients does not produce any difference, let alone reducing mortality. On the same page, the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration revoked the use of hydroxychloroquine.
