PARIS : France, Italy and Belgium acted to halt the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients suffering from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, amid questions about the safety of the generic anti-malaria drug.
France on Wednesday cancelled a decree allowing hospital doctors to dispense the medicine, while the Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA) suspended authorization to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 outside clinical trials.
Belgium's medicine agency warned against using the drug to treat the virus any more except within ongoing clinical registered trials.
It said trials aiming to evaluate the drug should also take potential risks into consideration. The sudden changes highlight the challenge for governments as they