Dr. Didier Raoult, a French physician who claimed that hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19 [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a temporary halt to clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine (hereafter chloroquine), known as one of the treatments for COVID-19, due to concerns over side effects. Meanwhile, a famous French doctor has sparked controversy by claiming that chloroquine is helpful in treatment.
According to AFP on the 25th (local time), Didier Raoult, one of France's renowned doctors, strongly asserted on the website of the Marseille hospital where he works that chloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19. Dr. Raoult stated, "Nothing can change what I have personally witnessed," refuting the WHO and academic research results regarding chloroquine's side effects.
Earlier, the British medical journal The Lancet reported that in clinical trials involving over 96,000 COVID-19 patients from 671 hospitals worldwide, patients taking chloroquine had an increased risk of arrhythmia. Following this study, WHO announced the temporary suspension of chloroquine research. Chloroquine had previously become a topic of discussion when U.S. President Donald Trump praised it as an effective treatment and revealed that he took it for two weeks to prevent COVID-19.
Meanwhile, it is known that when President Macron visited Dr. Raoult's hospital last month to consult on COVID-19 countermeasures, Dr. Raoult mentioned that chloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19. The ?lys?e Palace, the French presidential office, dismissed the notion that the president's visit to Raoult implied endorsement of his views.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
