BUT ORANGE MAN BAD OR SOMETHING: Doubt looms over hydroxychloroquine study that halted global trials.

In the Lancet study—which was published May 22 and reported by Ars—researchers aimed to provide some clarity of the drugs’ effects in COVID-19 patients. The researchers claimed to do so using the largest set of data to date, involving more than 96,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from six continents. According to the authors, a thorough hashing of the data indicated that those taking either hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine had significantly higher risks of death and heart complications compared with COVID-19 patients who did not take either of the drugs.

The safety issues were concerning enough that on May 26, the World Health Organization announced that it was suspending the use of hydroxychloroquine in its global Solidarity Trial, which is evaluating several potential COVID-19 therapies. Regulators in the UK and France also changed their recommendations surrounding the drugs.

Amid the global influence, outside researchers began closely examining the data behind the study—or at least tried to do so—and have been left concerned.

Maybe next time don’t halt the ongoing studies until after assessing the value of the new study?