NEW DELHI: The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug widely touted as the potential cure for covid-19, has come under further scrutiny.
It was found that covid-19 patients who were on a regimen of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and antibiotic azithromycin experienced irregular heartbeats, raising the risk of cardiac arrest in patients.
The findings emerged from a correspondence shared by researchers from the New York School of Medicine, US, who studied a cohort of 84 covid-19 patients admitted to the centre for treatment.
The findings were peer-reviewed and published in the journal Nature Medicine. They were shared in the backdrop of recent claims, which suggested that the drug combination could help patients diagnosed with