Trump-touted drug Hydroxychloroquine has higher coronavirus fatality rate: study

Patients given a drug touted by Donald Trump as a potential coronavirus cure were more than twice as likely to die from the disease, a study has found.

The first published study on hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients showed no positive effects from the drug.

Twenty-seven per cent of COVID-19 patients taking hydroxychloroquine died.

Eleven per cent of those not on the drug died from coronavirus.

Twenty-two per cent of patients given a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin died.

Hydroxychloroquine had no positive impact on the number of patients needing ventilation.

"In this study, we found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalised with Covid-19," the authors wrote.

"These findings highlight the importance of awaiting the results of ongoing prospective, randomised, controlled studies before widespread adoption of these drugs."

The study looked at patients hospitalised from coronavirus within the United States Veterans Health Administration.

The study was funded by America's National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia.

It has yet to be peer-reviewed.

Hydroxychloroquine is an effective drug in treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

But the drug has serious side effects including muscle weakness, vision problems, headache and heart problems.

A French study from earlier in the year showed the drug had a positive effect on COVID-19 patients, but other scientists viewed that research as deeply flawed.

The study and subsequent media coverage prompted a rush on the drug, which left those who need it for other diseases unable to get their prescriptions filled.

In late March, Mr Trump began to tout the drug as a potential cure for coronavirus.

"Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. Now, this is a common malaria drug," Mr Trump said.

"The nice part is, it's been around for a long time, so we know that if it—if things don't go as planned, it's not going to kill anybody."

After watching that White House briefing, an Arizona man was killed by drinking a fish tank cleaner that contained chloroquine.

But Mr Trump continued his advocacy in the following weeks.

"What do you have to lose?" Mr Trump said on April 4.

"I'll say it again. What do you have to lose? Take it."

Twitter has been removing tweets promoting hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus cure, including from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Fox News host Laura Ingraham.