The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly recommended refraining from using hydroxychloroquine as a preventative for people who are not infected with COVID-19, according to the latest WHO guidelines released on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2021) The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly recommended refraining from using hydroxychloroquine as a preventative for people who are not infected with COVID-19, according to the latest WHO guidelines released on Tuesday.
"The guideline development panel made a strong recommendation against the use of hydroxychloroquine for individuals who do not have covid-19 (high certainty)," the WHO guidelines, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ, said.
Multiple clinical trials involving over 6,000 participants found that the drug had little or no effect on mortality and admission to a hospital. Additionally, hydroxychloroquine can cause side effects that may cause discontinuation, preventing patients from taking it further down the road, should it be needed.
The report went on to say that the drug� was "no longer a research priority and that resources should rather be oriented to evaluate other more promising drugs to prevent covid-19."
At the early stages of the pandemic, some experts have suggested hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 or a possible prevention method. Nonetheless, several studies showed no benefit of hydroxychloroquine use after exposure to the coronavirus. Then-US President Donald Trump touted the drug as a "game-changer" and triggered a global race to procure it.
