A study conducted by French researchers has revealed that nearly 17,000 lives could have been saved during the first wave of COVID-19 if hydroxychloroquine had been utilized, according to a report from Politico. Despite the lack of clinical evidence, the medication has shown positive effects in certain COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, as stated by researchers in an article published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, as reported by “The Voice of America”.

Based on a study published in the scientific journal Nature in 2021, researchers estimate that the use of hydroxychloroquine could have prevented the deaths of approximately 16,990 individuals in several countries including France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United States. However, this figure takes into account a potential 11% increase in mortality associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine, due to its possible adverse effects such as heart rhythm problems, among other alternative treatment methods.

The reference to hydroxychloroquine as a “miracle drug” was made by former United States President Donald Trump.