Hydroxychloroquine: 'miracle' drug or death pill?

New Delhi: The debate on the effective anti-mareal drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of corona virus is still not subsided. This time more than a hundred scientists have questioned the authenticity of the Lancet study. Let me tell you that only after the report of the Lancet study, the World Health Organization (WHO) gave instructions to stop the clinical trial of HCQ. The study said that this drug increases the risk of death.

Now, The Lancet Medical Journal itself is concerned about its findings. Hydroxychloroquine was first called a miracle drug and later a potentially life-threatening drug. But behind this change was the Lancet study. This study claimed that HCQ randomizes heart beats and increases the risk of death.

Question on report

Hearing this, people's thinking towards medicine changed. WHO prohibits HCQ tests. Now, more than a hundred scientists have questioned the Lancet study, which has called this drug dangerous. It is like withdrawing a wrong comment and now serious scientific questions have been raised on it. The journal is now starting an independent audit of the data, but scientists want the WHO to investigate it.

The Lancet study included 96,000 COVID-19 patients from six continents. This included patients from 671 hospitals who were given HCQ supplements. The study found that patients' lives were in danger, they also had a risk of irregular heartbeat. The question now is what was the reason for the scientists' skepticism over the Lancet study?

The haste with which this data was analyzed, the paper and peer review were written - all these took only five weeks, which was quicker than usual. The authors refused to reveal the identity of any of the hospitals from which the patients' data was taken. It is not even mentioned in which countries those hospitals were located.

A data scientist has also called this study data creation. Not only this, one of the authors of this study is also the founder of Surgisphere, a Chicago-based medical data analytics company. This study relied solely on the data provided by the firm. Now its affiliation is under suspicion.

The Lancet Medical Journal had to issue amendments to prove the death was wrong. However, the WHO acted on this report and put a halt to HCQ tests.

Oppose India

India strongly opposed the ban on testing. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has consistently supported the use of HCQ.

Studies by ICMR have found that HCQ has given positive results as a preventive drug. In a recent study, ICMR found that HCQ with personal protective equipment reduced the risk of COVID-19 by 80 percent. These results of ICMR contradict the Lancet study. Studies in India found no other side effects other than nausea, vomiting and occasional burning sensation.

The drug has been in use in different ways for nearly 100 years. It is also used for some other diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and type-2 diabetes. The use and dangers of the drug are well known. The ICMR has said that the right dosage and monitoring work in it.

For the time being, the WHO has changed its decision regarding the drug and the ban on HCQ trials has been lifted. WHO tweeted - Based on available mortality data, committee members recommended that there is no reason to revise the testing protocol. Therefore the hydroxychloroquine trial can be resumed. The organization said that the working group will closely monitor this.