Dutch study proves hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work against corona

Donald Trump’s anti-coronavirus drug of choice, hydroxychloroquine, does not work, to absolutely no-one’s surprise. Dutch research has backed up a British study showing the ineffectiveness of the drug.

Hydroxychloroquine, also favoured by President Bolsonaro of Brazil, was trialled in Dutch hospitals treating coronavirus patients. The drug was already removed from treatment protocols in the Netherlands in May because of its negative effect on heart health. Now, the Dutch study, led by Jonne Sikkens, shows that the effect of the drug on coronavirus patients was pretty negligible.

A previous, smaller study based in Amsterdam appeared to show that hydroxychloroquine had a negative impact on coronavirus patient mortality. However, it is possible that this was simply because the patients to whom the drug was administered were sicker. This new study shows no statistically significant improvement in recovery with the use of the drug. A much larger sample size, covering nine hospitals, means that the results of the research are more trustworthy.

The results of this study are unsurprising, says Mark de Boer, internist and chairman of the Antibiotic Policy Working Group (SWAB), because an earlier large study in the UK also saw no positive effects of the drug. “It is reassuring that we now see the same picture in the Netherlands.”

Will we see a u-turn on the use of this drug in the US and Brazil? Let us know your predictions in the comments below.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Ailish Lalor
Ailish Lalor
Ailish was born in Sydney, Australia, but grew up by a forest in south-east Ireland, which she has attempted to replace with a living room filled with plants in The Hague. Besides catering to her army of pannenkoekenplantjes, Ailish spends her days convincing her friends that all food is better slightly burnt, plotting ways to hang out with dogs and cats, and of course, writing for DutchReview.

1 COMMENT

  1. Can’t find a link to the study, but I guarantee the Zelenko Protocol was not used (combing HCQ with Zinc + Azithromycin, administered in first days of symptoms). These studies are not technically lying, but playing with lives.

    ”One patient died in the treatment group versus 13 patients in the untreated group” https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202007.0025/v1

    Peer reviewed study shows no effect on heart rhythm: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022073620305288

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related posts

Latest posts

These are the only Dutch cities where room prices are actually going down

While the prices of rooms are increasing almost everywhere in the Netherlands, four Dutch cities are seeing a decrease in the price of rental...

Bus too full? Dutch municipality asks residents (including schoolchildren) to hitchhike instead of using public transport

We’ve all experienced the frustration of waiting for a bus that will never come. Now, imagine how you would feel if your city asked...

Here’s one way to help reduce your plastic consumption in the Netherlands

As of September 2024, only 7% of plastic packaging used in the Netherlands is actually recycled. This means that many of the everyday products...

It's happening

Upcoming events

The latest Dutch news.
In your inbox.