Elsevier and the International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy have retracted a paper in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents about the benefits of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19. The paper was authored by Philippe Gautret, a researcher at the IHU Mediterranean Infection Research Center in Marseille, and co-authored by the institution’s director, Didier Raoult. The paper, cited 3,859 times, prompted emergency recommendations for infections that have given millions of patients an unnecessary drug with dangerous side effects, Science reports.
Scientists noticed the article's inconclusiveness just four days after its publication on March 20, 2020. The sample included only 36 patients, and it took four days to review. In addition, six patients who received hydroxychloroquine were excluded from the results, one of whom died and three were transferred to the intensive care unit, and the PCR test thresholds in the main and control groups were different. Subsequent trials did not confirm the drug's effectiveness, but it managed to gain popularity. This caused a considerable resonance in the scientific and medical community, and lawsuits were filed against the institution and its director.
