Oh wtf this was one of the drugs people used to poison themselves with? I was prescribed this a month ago because the rheumatologist told me is the safest drug for auto immune issues although I still need to take mehtylprednisolone every few months due to spinal inflammation that messes with nerves.

Remember these chuckleheads believe the vaccine is poison and you gotta be careful and they put this stuff into themselves. Apparently research is listening to Joe's podcast.

"What do you have to lose?"

Umm. Their lives, apparently? Such an irresponsible statement.

Natural Selection

That figure stems from a study published in the Nature scientific journal in 2021 which reported an 11 percent increase in the mortality rate, linked to its prescription against COVID-19, because of the potential adverse effects like heart rhythm disorders, and its use instead of other effective treatments.

So I think what they are reporting is an estimate of people who died of COVID whilst taking this stuff and so did not undertake other forms of treatment.

I don't think they are saying that most of these people died as a direct result of taking the drug. (e.g. overdosing)., despite what the headline suggests.

But I'm not allowed to add caffeine powder to my yogurt anymore because one idiot died 🙄

The amount of people not reading the article or the study is astounding.

This is not about Trump.
This is not about your conservative uncle.
This is not about America only.

This is about off label prescribing in ICU and ERs early in the pandemic with low evidence (theoretical pathways) in six countries which either gave explicit approval or unclear guidance that was interpreted as approval. It goes on to suggest that in a similar emergency future, the state agencies sould do better.

In the absence of restriction, the number of expected HCQ-related deaths is likely to be directly related to the promotion of its prescription by scientists, physicians and health agencies. In February and March 2020, the use of this treatment was widely promoted based on preliminary reports suggesting a potential efficacy against COVID-19 [80]. For instance, the use of HCQ markedly increased from mid-March to mid-April 2020 [81], [82] in France before a temporary recommendation supporting its use by the State Council was rapidly rejected [83]. Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a temporary emergency use authorisation for HCQ on March 28th 2020, which was finally revoked on June 15th 2020 [84]. In India, HCQ was also prescribed as a curative treatment to patients with COVID-19 and as a prophylactic treatment for front-line workers based on public authority guidance [85]. Conversely, the British government promoted HCQ use only within clinical trials, explaining the absence of cohort studies reporting the use of HCQ in the United Kingdom in the present study [86]. Consistently, a cohort of a multinational network showed a wide variation in the use of HCQ between countries, with 85% in Spain, 14% in the USA and less than 2% in China [80]. The rush to administer this treatment caused supply shortages in community pharmacies, forcing the implementation of dispensing restrictions [82]. Finally, the results of observational studies and randomized trials in May and June 2020, respectively, convincingly demonstrated that HCQ was ineffective and led to an increase in adverse events [4], [5], [12], [66], [73].

Stupid is as stupid does.

Former US President Donald Trump said: ‘What do you have to lose? Take it.’

As a proud and patriotic French, I can't let the murican brag about their (former) President without bragging about our former and current President whom happen to be a very good epidemiologist :

https://www.science.org/content/article/france-s-president-fueling-hype-over-unproven-coronavirus-treatment

Today his profile rose even higher, as French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Marseille to meet Raoult, a hospital director and researcher who led the two trials. Macron did not comment after the meeting, but the rendezvous, initiated by Macron, was a clear sign of Raoult's newfound political clout. Jean-Paul Hamon, president of the Federation of Doctors of France, one of many scientists and doctors critical of the meeting, called it "showbiz politics."

A survey released by French polling institute IFOP on 6 April revealed that 59% of the French population believes chloroquine is effective against the new coronavirus. Confidence in the drugs is higher on the far right and far left, and reached 80% among sympathizers of the "yellow vest" movement that staged massive protests against Macron's economic policy in 2018 and 2019. Support is also very high, at 74%, in the Marseille region.

Karine Lacombe, head of infectious diseases at the Saint Antoine Hospital in Paris, has said on French TV that she and her team have received repeated "physical threats" for refusing to prescribe chloroquine; she said she has also seen many falsified prescriptions for the drug. Other doctors have reported similar experiences. The pressure comes on top of the stress caused by shortages of protective equipment, diagnostic tests, and medical staff.

That's more then all Vaccines COMBINED! Don't let our Kids get Vaxxed! Hydrochloroquine them instead!

Donald Trump should be charged for those deaths. Sadly, it is unlikely that the families that took his advice would take out a class action. As to his comment about what have you got to lose? The court or any reasonable party simply has to read the patient information leaflet.

I’m going to be that guy to say… The world is better off from it.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Nearly 17,000 people may have died after taking hydroxycholoroquine during the first wave of COVID, according to a study by French researchers.

The anti-malaria drug was prescribed to some patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, "despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits," the researchers point out in their paper, published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

Now, researchers have estimated that some 16,990 people in six countries — France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the U.S. — may have died as a result.

Researchers from universities in Lyon, France, and Québec, Canada, used that figure to analyze hospitalization data for COVID in each of the six countries, exposure to hydroxychloroquine and the increase in the relative risk of death linked to the drug.

In fact, they say the figure may be far higher given the study only concerns six countries from March to July 2020, when the drug was prescribed much more widely.

Hydroxychloroquine gained prominence partly due to French virologist Didier Raoult who had headed the Méditerranée Infection Foundation hospital, but was later removed amid growing controversy.

The original article contains 260 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 28%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

"COULD HAVE"

I'm so sick of this sort of reporting. Too many "maybe", "might have", "could be". it's just fear mongering.