Russian Health Ministry Monitors Hydroxychloroquine Safety For COVID-19 Patients

Russian Health Ministry Monitors Hydroxychloroquine Safety for COVID-19 Patients

The Russian Health Ministry said on Thursday it was constantly monitoring the efficiency and safety of using hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) The Russian Health Ministry said on Thursday it was constantly monitoring the efficiency and safety of using hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients.

Late last week, a study by US-based researchers, published in The Lancet medical journal, suggested that coronavirus patients who received hydroxychloroquine were dying at higher rates than other COVID-19 positive individuals. This prompted the World Health Organization to suspend clinical trials of the medical drug.

"The efficiency and safety of hydroxychloroquine and other medications that are used in Russia for COVID-19 treatment is constantly monitored by the Russian Health Ministry and its subordinate organizations," the ministry said in a statement.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, no fatalities related to cardiac rhythm disorder have been registered among patients receiving hydroxychloroquine in the country, the ministry went on to say.

The Russian Health Ministry also said that additional criteria for assessing risks related to hydroxychloroquine use would be included in the updated recommendations on COVID-19 treatment.