6000 Doctors Say Trump-backed anti-malaria drug is the most effective coronavirus treatment

Trump-backed anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is the most effective coronavirus treatment currently available, finds international poll of 6,000 doctors

• Majority of 6,200 doctors from 30 nations said malaria drug was most effective 
• Doctors across Europe, the US and China have been given licence to prescribe 
• But the UK is dragging its feet until clinical trials show it is safe and effective
• World Health Organization claims that no medicine can prevent or cure virus

By Connor Boyd Health Reporter For Mailonline

The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is the best coronavirus drug currently available, according to an international poll of thousands of doctors.

Of 6,200 physicians surveyed from 30 countries, the majority (37 per cent) said it was the ‘most effective therapy’ for the virus.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) claims that ‘there is no evidence’ that any medicine ‘can prevent or cure the disease’.

With a spiralling crisis and no cure in sight, doctors in Europe, the US and China have been given licence to prescribe the promising drug to COVID-19 patients.

But the UK has prevented clinicians from dishing out hydroxychloroquine – a form of chloroquine – until clinical trials are completed.

The malaria drug chloroquine is the best coronavirus treatment currently available, according to an international poll of thousands of doctors. Pictured: hydroxychloroquine, a version of it, is prescribed in the US under the brand name Plaquenil

Of 6,200 physicians surveyed from 30 countries, the majority (37 per cent) said hydroxychloroquine was the ‘most effective therapy’ for the virus

Chloroquine (CQ), branded as Aralen, and counterpart hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), known as Plaquenil, are well-established medicines.

They are also prescribed on the NHS to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and have been used since the 1940s.

The latest poll, conducted by Sermo – a ‘virtual lounge’ for doctors, found the tablets were most widely used for