On May 22nd The Lancet medical journal published a multinational observational study of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as a viable treatment for COVID-19.
But as soon as it was released, the study has come under heavy criticism. Just days after its release an open letter by 182 signatories[1] was sent to The Lancet’s head office Richard Horton asking for answers to several questions surrounding its statistical analysis and data integrity.
Much of the controversy in the study is regarding a dodgy company called Surgisphere.
The Lancet ha posted an update on its Twitter page stating the following:
Today, three of the authors have retracted "Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis" Read the Retraction notice and statement from The Lancet https://t.co/pPNCJ3nO8n pic.twitter.com/pB0FBj6EXr
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) June 4, 2020
The Guardian[2] reported:
The Lancet paper that halted global trials of hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 because of fears of increased deaths has been retracted after a Guardian investigation found inconsistencies in the data.
The lead author, Prof Mandeep Mehra, from the Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston, Massachusetts decided to ask the Lancet for the retraction because he could no longer vouch for the data’s accuracy.
The journal’s editor, Richard Horton, said he was appalled by developments. “This is a shocking example of research misconduct in the middle of a global health emergency,” he told the Guardian.
Some unknown forces are doing their upmost to dismiss any claims that Hydroxychloriquine has any use in against COVID-19 symptoms, why, we can only speculate. This is just another example of their desperation.