WHO Recommends Against Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 Prevention

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The World Health Organization has made a strong recommendation against use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19.

The recommendation, published in The BMJ, is based on a meta-analysis of six randomized trials comprising over 6000 people with or without known exposure to COVID-19. The analysis found that hydroxychloroquine had little to no effect on COVID-19-related mortality or hospital admission. There was also little to no effect on incidence of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. There was, however, evidence of increased risk for adverse events with the drug.

The guideline panel noted that "almost all people would not consider this drug worthwhile." They urged researchers to turn their attention to other potential drugs to prevent COVID-19.