Hydroxychloroquine Fails Early Test
July 17, 2020
A recent Issues online exclusive laid out the importance of conducting randomized clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of drugs, including those intended to treat COVID-19, before putting them into wide use—while also noting that some politicians and media personalities are calling this step unnecessary during the pandemic. Underlining the need for precaution, the first randomized clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine to treat adults newly diagnosed with COVID-19, a therapy touted early on by President Trump, has found the drug to be no more effective than an inert placebo.