Nearly 17,000 people may have died from hydroxychloroquine: study

Analysis by French researchers suggests that as many as 17,000 individuals across Turkey, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, and the U.S. may have perished due to the use of hydroxychloroquine (HQC) as a treatment for COVID-19. The antimalarial drug was widely employed during the early stages of the pandemic prior to comprehensive studies indicating that it not only had no beneficial effect on patients, but also increased death risks. Despite the absence of evidence proving its efficacy against COVID-19, HQC was widely prescribed, leading to approximately 16,990 additional fatalities associated with its usage in the aforementioned countries.

The researchers from Lyon, France, and Quebec, Canada also examined other studies focused on patient hospitalizations, the consequent exposure to the drug, and its associated death risks. They noted that the drug's toxicity combined with any pre-existing cardiac conditions could cause fatal heart rhythm abnormalities. The researchers highlighted that these figures could either be an underestimation or an overestimation due to the lack of data from many countries for the period of study, which spans March to July 2020.

Their analysis further points out that the actual death toll associated with HQC might range between 3,000 and 30,000 deaths. They believe that the worldwide fatality figure related to the drug is underreported due to a dearth of studies in other regions including East Europe, United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, Africa, and South America. Given the approximately 600 million population in the countries covered, the researchers suggest that the actual death figure related to HQC may be "significantly higher" given its widespread use during successive COVID-19 waves across numerous nations.

The Food and Drug Administration had authorized emergency use of HQC on March 28, 2020, but revoked it on June 15, 2020. The drug was nonetheless widely promoted, most notably by former president Trump, who had called it and a related drug, chloroquine, potential "miracles".