World

A new study has found that antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine(HCQ) helped coronavirus patients to survive better in the hospital.

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Henry Ford health team in its report asserted that although the study differs from earlier research on HCQ, the team said if the drug is given early it benefits COVID-19 patients.

Also Read: 'Way beyond worst spike': US records new virus peak as Florida, Texas report huge surge

The team said it could be a "potential" lifesaver for patients. The findings come even as the US National Institutes of Health halted clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said earlier that testing of HCQ for COVID-19 patients had been halted after new data showed no benefit. The US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) had also stopped the emergency use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients.

The drug has been widely touted by US President Trump as a cure for the virus. The US president had surprised officials of his own administration after he declared he had been administering the drug to combat the virus. Trump had called the HCQ a "game-changer".

UK also halted the drug trial terming it "useless" while treating COVID-19 patients. "This is not a treatment for COVID-19. It doesn't work," Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor had said while informing the WHO about its conclusion.

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After the WHO halted the clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine, the French government also banned the treatment.

Like Trump, Brazil President Bolsanaro has also lauded the use of hydroxychloroquine even though the US FDA has had cautioned against possible side effects of the drug. Brazil now has the second-highest coronavirus cases after the United States with the death toll climbing to over 60,000.