The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) on Friday revised its coronavirus treatment guidelines, recommending that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine not be used in COVID-19 patients.
The IDSA initially only recommended against the use of the drug in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin. The updated directive highlights a tougher stance on the drug praised by President Trump
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“The panel of expert guidelines of IDSA concluded that benefits of higher certainty (e.g. reduction of mortality) for the use of these treatments are now highly unlikely, even if additional high quality data would become available,” the group said in a statement issued by Bloomberg News.
The ISDA says it is making its recommendations based on trials of the drug. One study cited by the ISDA found COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine who were not on a ventilator “were more likely to be placed on a mechanical ventilator during follow-up.”
Trump took the medication to contract COVID-19 earlier this year, and has praised the drug several times as a treatment for the virus.
Demand for hydroxychloroquine increased after Trump began promoting it, leading to shortages. The drug is not approved to treat COVID-19, but it is used to treat lupus, arthritis and malaria. However, doctors have warned that the drug could cause serious heart problems.
U.S. health officials initially made fees for the drugs to be used as potential treatment, but subsequent studies led to reversals by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the National Institutes of Health.
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