Hydroxychloroquine not recommended for coronavirus treatment: WHO panel - Fox News

An expert panel advising the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a strong recommendation against using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.

Guidance published in the British Medical Journal this week draws on findings from six trials with over 6,000 participants, and "high certainty evidence" found that the anti-malarial drug "had a small or no effect" on deaths and hospital admissions, while "moderate certainty evidence" found little effect on lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The drug is no longer considered a 'research priority,' the panel said.

"The panel considers that this drug is no longer a research priority and that resources should rather be oriented to evaluate other more promising drugs to prevent COVID," the guidance reads.

"The panel judged that almost all people would not consider this drug worthwhile," the guidance continues.

The international health agency last October announced four drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, were found to have "little or no effect" on hospitalized patients in a study.