The World Health Organization has suspended testing the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in coronavirus patients due to safety concerns, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.
TRUMP HAS PROMOTED THE DRUG
Hydroxycholoroquine has been touted by Donald Trump and others as a possible treatment for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The US President has said he was taking the drug to help prevent infection despite warnings from health officials that it could cause heart problems.
“The executive group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity trial while the safety data is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board,” Tedros told an online briefing.
He said the other arms of the trial – a major international initiative to hold clinical tests of potential treatments for the virus – were continuing.