New study finds Trump-touted hydroxychloroquine does not benefit coronavirus patients

hydroxychloroquine.
(Image credit: BENOIT DOPPAGNE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

A nationwide study that's been submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine found that hydroxychloroquine — a malaria drug often touted by President Trump has a strong candidate for COVID-19 therapy — does not benefit coronavirus patients, The Associated Press reports.

In fact, the analysis, which tracked 368 patients in U.S. veterans hospitals, shows that patients treated with the drug actually died at a higher rate than those treated with standard care. Hydroxychloroquine reportedly also didn't make a difference when it comes to who needed a breathing machine.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.