A scientific study by French doctor Didier Raoul on the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 has been officially withdrawn from a scientific journal after several years of controversy over its publication. This is stated in a statement by Elsevier, which owns the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, UNN reports.
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The study caused a lot of controversy when Raul promoted the drug as an effective remedy for COVID-19. However, he was later suspended from medical practice. Serious doubts were raised about the ethical standards and the correctness of the study, particularly with human participants.
A review panel, led by an independent consultant, Dr. Jim Gray, found problems with the study's methodology and conclusions. Following the investigation, the article was deemed unreliable and rejected as a source for further research.
Additionally, it was found that not all patients agreed to participate in the study, as well as to take azithromycin, which according to the protocol was to be used together with hydroxychloroquine. Three of the 18 authors of the article stated that they no longer wanted their names associated with this publication.
Hydroxychloroquine, originally approved for the treatment of malaria, has been the subject of intense controversy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the initial approval for the emergency use of this drug in the United States in March 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the authorization in June 2020 due to a lack of evidence of its effectiveness and identified safety concerns.
Raoul, who gained global attention during the pandemic, is currently continuing his legal battle over a ban on medical practice in France.