A scientist referred to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a “magic bullet” against the coronavirus, and during that time, former President Trump emphasized a “miracle” recovery of a COVID-infected woman who had used the drug.

During a COVID Taskforce briefing, the former US president mentioned, “The nice part is, it’s been around for a long time…if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody.” Additionally, in a tweet on March 21, 2020, he expressed that the FDA had acted swiftly, stating that the drug would be deployed “immediately” as an antidote to mitigate the transmission of COVID.

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However, in June 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew the emergency use authorization for the drug. This decision came as several studies, including one published in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) provided no benefits in treating COVID and was associated with a notable increase in the risk of death. The FDA officially revoked the emergency use authorization on June 15, 2020.

A recent study conducted by French researchers suggests that nearly 17,000 individuals across six countries may have died after receiving prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine while hospitalized with COVID-19 from March to July 2020, during the initial wave of the pandemic. The research, published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, indicates that the increase in deaths was linked to side effects such as heart arrhythmia and muscle weakness.

The countries included in the study were the United States, Turkey, Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy.

The United States reported the highest number of deaths, with 12,739, followed by Spain (1,895 deaths), Italy (1,822 deaths), Belgium (240 deaths), France (199 deaths), and Turkey (95 deaths).

The scientists conducted an analysis of various studies that tracked hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and the administration of the drug, assessing the associated risks.

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