For much of the time that the nation has been dealing with coronavirus, President Trump and his allies have frequently been talking up hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that has been given emergency approval for off-label use.

Others have cautioned that the treatment is not proven safe or effective, and there are side effects, while the use of the drug has reportedly caused shortages that affect those who need it for other conditions. Even the CIA has weighed in, warning its employees not to take the drug unless directed to do so by a doctor.

A frequent reaction to the uncertainty about the effectiveness of the treatment has been to wait for scientific studies. Now, such studies are beginning to arrive, albeit in preliminary and non-peer-reviewed form.

A French study, published this week, found that there was "no evidence of clinical efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 infection and requiring oxygen." The study-which is not peer-reviewed-was published on MedRxiv.org.

Another study, from China, which was also published on medRxiv, found that the drug does not clear patients of the virus, but did alleviate some symptoms.

This follows the news, per USA Today, that a small study of a similar drug, chloroquine, in Brazil was stopped for safety reasons. A study in early April, put out by the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC), was later denounced by the society's own president, who declared that the study "does not meet the Society’s expected standard, especially relating to the lack of better explanations of the inclusion criteria and the triage of patients to ensure patient safety."

More robust clinical trials are currently in progress. CNN reported that, based on a search of ClinicalTrials.gov, at least 15 research centers in the U.S. alone are working on studies of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine. More than 600 studies are in progress in the U.S., related to COVID-19 in general.

Much of the other media coverage of the drug has come in the form of anecdotes, such as the stories of individual patients who have recovered after being given the treatment. Meanwhile, actress Rita Wilson who, along with her husband Tom Hanks, has recovered from coronavirus, told CBS This Morning that she suffered "extreme side effects" from the drug, including nausea and vertigo.

“We have to be very considerate about this drug,” Wilson said on the show, per The New York Post. “We don’t know if it’s safe in this case.”

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. 

Image: Reuters.