Yale University Professor Harvey Risch says all studies that examine the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine on high risk population groups show the drug is “uniformly beneficial” in treating COVID-19.
“What clinicians have found around the world is that a class of people called high-risk people are the ones who need to be treated,” he said. “These are people generally over aged 60 or who have chronic conditions like diabetes, or obesity, or heart disease, high blood pressure or are immuno-compromised.
“These are people that need to be treated and the studies that look at them and them only show that hydroxychloroquine cuts the risk of hospitalisation and mortality by at least 50 per cent.”
Mr Risch said there are no published studies that show the drug is not beneficial for those people. “There are plenty of other studies that show other things but the problem is they are not looking a the right people.
“All of the pushback that is against this drug has been on the basis of blurring the distinction as to who needs the drugs and who needs to be treated.”