Hydroxychloroquine is unlikely to be beneficial and can prolong the QT interval which can increase the risk of arrhythmias.

Hydroxychloroquine is a prescription medicine that was approved decades ago to treat malaria. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Concerning covid-19, there are several reasons. A promising laboratory study, with cultured cells, found that chloroquine could block the coronavirus from invading cells, which it must do to replicate and cause illness. However, drugs that conquer viruses in test tubes or petri dishes do not always work in the human body, and studies of hydroxychloroquine have found that it failed to prevent or treat influenza and other viral illnesses.

Reports from doctors in China and France have said that hydroxychloroquine, sometimes combined with the antibiotic azithromycin, seemed to help patients. But those studies were small and did not use proper control groups — patients carefully selected to match those in the experimental group but who are not given the drug being tested. Research involving few patients and no controls cannot determine whether a drug works. And the French study has since been discredited: The scientific group that oversees the journal where it was published said the study did not meet its standards.

A study from China did include a control group and suggested that hydroxychloroquine might help patients with mild cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. But that study had limitations: It was also small, with a total of 62 patients, and they were given various other drugs as well as hydroxychloroquine. The doctors evaluating the results knew which patients were being treated, and that information could have influenced their judgment. Even if the findings hold up, they will apply only to people who are mildly ill. And the researchers themselves said more studies were needed.

Another reason the drug has been considered for coronavirus patients is that it can rein in an overactive immune system, which is why it is used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. In some severe cases of Covid-19, the immune system seems to go into overdrive and cause inflammation that can damage the lungs and other organs. Doctors hope hydroxychloroquine might calm the condition, sometimes called a cytokine storm, but so far there is no proof that it has that effect.

It has also not been approved by FDA for covid-19 treatment.

Not recommended ...

The Lancet medical journal announced on Thursday retracting a study published on the treatment of COVID-19 patients with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

The publication of the study in the Lancet prompted a number of organizations, including the World Health Organization, to suspend ongoing or planned trials on the effects of hydroxychloroquine, after it said it significantly increased the likelihood of irregular heartbeats and death.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/health/study-on-use-of-hydroxychloroquine-for-covid-19-pulled/1866140

I would recommend hydroxychloroquine+ Azithromycin +Surbex Z or Surbex T for the treament of covid-19.

Dear Rajkumar Rajendram ,

Thank you for your opinion. You are correct. Due to the health concern, it is now the topic of discussion on the COVID treatment.

Afifa Siddique,

Thank you for your reply.

That is correct. hydroxychloroquine was removed from as a suggested medication for the COVID-19. There was an issue with the journal article in the Lancet. It should not be recommended for the treatment of COVID19.

Preliminary studies have suggested HCQ may have utility in fighting COVID-196,7. Distinct possible effects may be related to its function in the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A. anti-virus, B. anti-inflammation, and C. anti-thrombotic. Until now there have been no data indicating HCQ has any immunity-boosting effect, here we will mainly discuss the anti-virus and anti-inflammation effects.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-020-2721-8

Please see the following link:

https://www.archbronconeumol.org/es-hydroxychloroquine-as-prophylaxis-for-coronavirus-avance-S0300289620301629

Dear @Manal Hadi Kanaan, Thank you very much for your opinion. I really appreciate your kind contribution.

Dear @Tariq Mahmood,

I think the most of the health professionals agreed not to use the malarial drug for COVID-19 due to its severe health consequences. Anyway, thank you for your contribution.