Usage of the hydroxychloroquine drug had become popular for the treatment of coronavirus. But now the National Institutes of Health has stopped the clinical trials of the drug, which is otherwise used for treatment of malaria. The clinical trials of the drug were stopped when it was found that the drug did not provide any benefit for the patients suffering from COVID-19. The decision to end the trial came after the Food and Drug Administration took back the emergency use of the drug for treating coronavirus on June 22, 2020.
The FDA took the decision after the World Health Organization had dropped the study on June 17, 2020. This means that there are no drugs that are approved by FDA to treat coronavirus as of June 21, 2020. The virus has so far infected more than 8.6 million people and has killed more than 400,000. It was found that the drug was unlikely to be beneficial for the patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The FDA has also come to a conclusion that the drug is not likely to be effective in treating coronavirus and has also warned about the side effects of hydroxychloroquine that includes serious heart rhythm issues.
The drug is used for treating malaria and is also used for treating conditions like arthritis. Hydroxychloroquine was once promoted well by US president Donald Trump as a potential drug to deal with COVID-19. A number of drug companies are currently trying their best to come up with a potential drug and a vaccine.
The virus fist struck in China in December 2019 and by the time people could realize, it became a pandemic as it spread across various nations across the globe. The virus reportedly originated from a wet market in the Wuhan city in China. Wuhan is in the Hubei province and is the epicenter of the virus.
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