Researchers have expressed concerns about two studies published in influential medical journals on drugs used to treat patients with coronavirus, including one that led several nations to stop trialing a malaria drug.
On Tuesday, the New England Journal of Medicine issued an “expression of concern” on a study it published on May 1, which suggested that widely-used high blood pressure medications were not increasing the risk of death in people with COVID-19, the infection caused by the new coronavirus.
The study looked at the health records from hundreds of hospitals across the world. The journal editors wrote that “substantive concerns” have been raised about the quality of the information. They asked the researchers to provide reliable evidence.
Another study, published in the journal Lancet, was conducted on nearly 100,000 patients, mentioning that malaria drugs – hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine – increased the risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The editors of the Lancet issued a similar “expression of concern” about the study on Tuesday, stating it was aware “important scientific questions” had been raised.
The Lancet study was not a rigorous experiment that could have given definitive answers but it had a wide influence due to its size.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it would suspend a trial of hydroxychloroquine, while France has already stopped using the drug in hospitals.
Hydroxychloroquine has been in the news since President Donald Trump has been promoting it by calling it a game-changer. He even said he took the drug to prevent COVID-19, without clear evidence that it is safe and effective for coronavirus.
One hospital said in a statement that the authors of both studies launched an independent audit of the data published in the New England Journal. Another statement noted that the Lancet posted a correction on a discrepancy found in the study.
Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, said, “The Lancet and the authors need to do more to address the many concerns that scientists have raised.”
“I had accepted the Lancet paper on its face” because the journal and lead author are highly regarded,” he added, “and because the results are consistent with prior research – 13 studies have found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus.” “With the new concerns and correction, the cloud around the database ‘has now been greatly amplified.’” Dr. Topol said.
