Lancet study finds no benefit for hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 patients

The scientists said these drugs should not be used to treat Covid-19 patients outside of clinical trials until results from randomised clinical trials are available to confirm their safety

Treatment for Covid-19 with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, either with or without the antibiotic azithromycin, offers no benefit for Covid-19 patients, according to a large observational study.

The research, published in the journal The Lancet, analysed data from nearly 15,000 patients with Covid-19 who received chloroquine or its analogue hydroxychloroquine, taken with or without the antibiotics azithromycin or clarithromycin, and 81,000 controls.

According to the researchers, including Mandeep Mehra from Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US, Covid-19 patients on these drug regimens, experienced an increased risk of serious heart rhythm complications.