US halts test of Trump-touted hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients

The US National Institutes of Health has halted a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

The study found that hydroxychloroquine did not provide any benefit to the patients, even though it did no harm, NIH said in a statement on Saturday.

Trump had promoted the drug as a potential treatment, saying in March it could turn out to be "one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine" when used in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin.

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Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said testing of hydroxychloroquine in its large multi-country trial of treatments for COVID-19 patients had been halted after new data and studies showed no benefit.

The US Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 on Monday.

Last month, in a surprise announcement, Trump said he was taking a course of hydroxychloroquine as a preventative after two White House aides tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

NIH announced its trial of hydroxychloroquine, which is used to treat malaria and rheumatoid conditions such as arthritis, in April.

(with inputs from Reuters)