France bans hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 amid safety concerns

Wednesday, 27 May 2020 15:18

France on Wednesday banned the use of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19.

The French government is the first to take the step just days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) paused a large trial of the drug due to safety concerns.

Two French advisory bodies also warned that the drug - a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus - had shown to be potentially dangerous.

Recently, US President Donald Trump revealed taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against COVID-19.

No vaccine or treatment has yet been approved to treat COVID-19, that has left more than 350,000 people dead globally.

More from International News

Shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach kills 12

At least 12 people were killed and almost 30 wounded when gunmen opened fire at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday in what Australian police and officials described as a terrorist attack.
Police hold person of interest after Brown University shooting leaves two dead

Providence police have detained a "person of interest" in connection with the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and another nine people wounded at the US Ivy League school.
Hamas says Israel's killing of senior commander threatens ceasefire

Israel's assassination of a senior Hamas commander threatens the viability of the ceasefire in Gaza, the chief negotiator of the group said on Sunday, calling on US President Donald Trump to demand Israel comply with the terms of the truce.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy ditches NATO ambition ahead of peace talks

Ukraine has relinquished its ambition of joining the NATO military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks with US envoys in Berlin.