WHO Halts Testing of Trump Wonder Drug Hydroxychloroquine Over Safety Concerns

The World Health Organization said on Monday that it will temporarily suspend clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug President Trump has been touting as a coronavirus treatment, due to safety concerns. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cited a study published in The Lancet last week that found coronavirus patients taking hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die or suffer heart problems. Tedros said that there will be a “temporary pause” on testing the drug as the agency’s Data Safety Monitoring Board reviews “a comprehensive analysis and critical appraisal of all evidence available globally.” The director added that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are “accepted as generally safe for use in patients with autoimmune diseases or malaria.” Trump has fiercely advocated for the drug as a “game-changer” with “rave reviews” and claimed last week that he’s been taking it despite warnings from the FDA about its potentially deadly side effects.