It was said to be a cure for Covid-19: A step back after 4 years

In a statement based on the International "Antimicrobial Agents" journal, Nature magazine addressed the study that suggested the substance HCQ could be used in the treatment of Covid-19.

It was stated that the study, which lasted approximately 4 years, was retracted due to "not receiving ethical approval."

The Elsevier database, which published the study, and the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC) reported that as a result of the review conducted on the study, it could not be confirmed whether ethical approval was obtained before the participants were included in the study.

The research, which was ultimately retracted due to "concerns regarding ethical approval" and doubts about the conduct of the research, became the 28th retracted study by Didier Raoult, who previously worked at the IHU Mediterranee Institute in France and gained global fame during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study, led by French researcher Raoult, was recorded as the second most-cited retracted study.

In information provided to Nature magazine by Philippe Brouqui, who requested that his name be removed from the study, it was seen that Raoult argued to Elsevier that there were no ethical issues in the study.

Elisabeth Bik, an image-forensics expert and scientific integrity consultant in California, criticized the study and stated that its retraction was a very good development.

Bik used the expression, "This research should never have been published."

The study, which suggested that HCQ, used in the treatment of malaria, could be used in the treatment of Covid-19, had received much backlash due to the quality of its data and the uncertainty of its ethical approval process.

According to information from the Web of Science database, the study had received more than 3 thousand 400 citations, becoming the most-cited retracted study on Covid-19.

Three of the authors of the research had requested that their names be removed from the study due to concerns about the study's methods.

News Source: 12punto