DRUG TOUTED BY TRUMP FAILED TO PREVENT COVID

A malaria drug taken by U. S. President Donald Trump to prevent COVID-19 did not show any benefit versus placebo in reducing coronavirus infection among health- care workers, according to a clinical trial.

The study, published Wednesday, largely confirms results from a clinical trial in June that showed hydroxychloroquine was ineffective in preventing coronavirus infection.

In the study of 125 participants, four who had taken hydroxychloroquine as a preventive treatment for eight weeks contracted COVID-19, and four on placebo tested positive for the virus.

All eight were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization, according to the results published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal.

The research shows that routine use of the drug cannot be recommended among health- care workers to prevent COVID-19, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania said.