Three authors of a research study on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients published in The Lancet have retracted their paper after it was met with backlash and scientific questions.
The Lancet issued a correction in the days after the study’s publication with additional information and clarifications and also issued an “expression of concern” on June 3 about the study. A group of hundreds of scientists and researchers wrote to the editor of The Lancet with a list of 10 concerns regarding the methods and findings, asking for more information.
The study found that COVID-19 patients who took hydroxychloroquine, which is typically used to treat and prevent malaria, had a higher risk of death. The study had a significant impact after it was published, influencing the World Health Organization to temporarily suspend its hydroxychloroquine trial as it relates to COVID-19. WHO has since decided to reinstitute the hydroxychloroquine arm of the trial.
The authors stated in their retraction “they were unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their analysis. As a result, they have concluded that they "can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources."
In addition, the data, which came from Surgisphere, has come under question––“institutional reviews of Surgisphere’s research collaborations are urgently needed,” the retraction reads.
“The Lancet takes issues of scientific integrity extremely seriously, and there are many outstanding questions about Surgisphere and the data that were allegedly included in this study,” reads the statement.
Hydroxychloroquine, which has been unproven to treat or prevent COVID-19 thus far, has come under the limelight after President Trump began touting the drug as a “miracle” and announced he was taking it himself in mid-May.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."