France bans hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment
by Don JacobsonMay 27 (UPI) -- The French government on Wednesday barred the use of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.
The decision was published in France's official legal journal, ending the drug's use as a weapon in the pandemic just weeks after French epidemiologist Dr. Didier Raoult recommended it as a key tool against the coronavirus disease.
Tuesday, the French High Council of Public Health and National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products said hydroxychloroquine has shown higher rates of death and cardiac arrhythmia in COVID-19 patients.
French health minister Olivier Veran ordered the assessments last weekend after a study in British medical journal The Lancet reported increased death rates and irregular heartbeat among COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine.
The World Health Organization said Monday it's paused medical trials involving the drug.
Hydroxychloroquine and related drug Chloroquine have been used as anti-malarial drugs for decades and is sometimes used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
U.S. President Donald Trump and others have said hydroxychloroquine could be a potential treatment for COVID-19 or prevent infection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Heart Association, however, have warned that using it without medical supervision can lead to a greater risk of cardiac arrest.