A study by the Henry Ford Health System has found that Hydroxychloroquine “significantly” reduces death due to COVID-19, the Detroit, Michigan-based system said in a release on Thursday.
Hydroxychloroquine has been colloquially termed “Trump drug” after US President Donald Trump effusively praised its capabilities in the fight against the deadly virus.
The study analysed 2,541 COVID-19 patients hospitalised among the system’s six hospitals between March 10 and May 2 and found 13% of those treated with hydroxychloroquine died while 26% of those who did not receive the drug died, Detroit News reported.
Many of those who died were said to have underlying conditions, just as the patients in the study had an overall in-hospital mortality rate of 18%, compared to the global mortality rate for hospitalised patients which is between 10% and 30%.
CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group, Steven Kalkanis, said, “As doctors and scientists, we look to the data for insight and the data here is clear that there was a benefit to using the drug as a treatment for sick, hospitalised patients.”
The study, published in the International Society of Infectious Disease, found patients did not suffer heart-related side effects from the drug.
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