Antimalaria drugs that U.S. President Donald Trump has touted for treatment of Covid-19 were linked to an increased risk of death and heart ailments in a study.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine didn’t benefit patients with the coronavirus, either alone or in combination with an antibiotic, according to the study published Friday by The Lancet medical journal.
Researchers are searching through available options to treat the coronavirus, which has killed more than 330,000 people, including drugs like the antimalarials that are also already approved to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Trump’s endorsement has led many people to take the medications without scientific proof of their benefit. The study looked at the records of 15,000