The World Health Organization is resuming its trial of hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug backed by President Donald Trump to combat the deadly coronavirus, after temporarily halting research over safety concerns.

The Data Safety Monitoring Board decided there was no reason to discontinue the international trial after reviewing available data on the drug, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference Wednesday at the agency’s Geneva headquarters.

“The executive group received this recommendation and endorsed the continuation of all arms of solidarity trial including hydroxychloroquine,” he said.

On May 25, WHO announced it had temporarily suspended its trial of the drug over safety concerns. The announcement came days after a study published in medical journal The Lancet found that hospitalized Covid-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher risk of death than those who didn’t take it. That study is now being reexamined.

The suspension spurred French drugmaker Sanofi and others to temporarily halt recruitment for their own trials looking at the drug.

There’s no evidence that any drug actually reduces the mortality in patients who have Covid-19, WHO officials said Wednesday.

Tedros said the safety board will continue to closely monitor the safety of all therapeutics being tested in its trials, which involve more than 3,500 patients across 35 countries.

Source: www.cnbc.com