On 2 June 2020, the medical journal The Lancet (Elsevier group) put out a cautionary notice regarding an article it had previously published on the dangerousness of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19 [1].
On its part, in a recent article, The Guardian highlighted the flimsiness of the study’s basic data, provided by US analytics company Surgisphere [2].
Others involved in the study but who are not affiliated with Surgisphere [3], have requested an investigation into the origin and reliability of the data which was used.
The Lancet has indicated that it is awaiting the outcome of the investigation before pronouncing itself on the reliability of the study [4].
[1] Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis by Mandeep R Mehra, Sapan S Desai, Frank Ruschitzka, Amit N Patel; The Lancet Online, May 22, 2020.
[2] Questions raised over hydroxychloroquine study which caused WHO to halt trials for Covid-19. Melissa Davey, The Guardian, May 28, 2020.
[3] “A health data firm making extraordinary claims about its data”, May 30, 2020.
[4] “Expression of concern : Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19 : a multinational registry analysis”, The Lancet, June 2, 2020.