The use of the anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, for the potential treatment of COVID-19, has been one of the most unusual things I’ve observed during this pandemic as it became very political after former President Donald Trump last summer advocated for its use as a treatment option.

Hydroxychloroquine was first touted as a potential cure for COVID-19 by the French doctor Didier Raoult on the basis of a small and inconclusive study at the start of the pandemic.

The FDA cautioned against its use and multiple studies demonstrated potential side effects like cardiac arrhythmias and others showed the drugs effect was not that gr

eat–it did not prevent the development of COVID-19 , it was unlikely to be beneficial in clearing viral infections including the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Today, I look at a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that concludes there is no compelling data to suggest that hydroxychloroquine is effective.

A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Hydroxychloroquine for Prevention of Covid-19