Could Malaria Drug be the Cure for the Wuhan Virus?

According to a report from the Washington Examiner, a drug that was originally developed for the purpose of treating malaria is now showing signs of being a potential cure for Wuhan virus infections.

However, there still needs to be more testing.

Researchers and virologists in France recently finished a clinical trial examining the effects of hydroxychloroquine, which is used to treat arthritis, malaria, and other ailments, on patients with the Wuhan virus. Researchers treated 26 Wuhan virus patients with the drug, six of whom received the antibiotic azithromycin.

The researchers published their findings in a study released on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. According to the results, all six patients receiving hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatments tested negative for the virus after six days. Of the 20 individuals who received treatment with just hydroxychloroquine, 57.1 percent tested negative for the Wuhan virus after six days. Only 12.5 percent of the control group consisting of 16 other patients tested negative.

“Despite its small sample size our survey shows that hydroxychloroquine treatment is significantly associated with viral load reduction/disappearance in COVID-19 patients and its effect is reinforced by azithromycin,” the study related.

Didier Raoult, an infectious disease expert from l’Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire in Marseille, was the head of the research team conducting the study. Gregory Rigano, an adviser to the Stanford University School of Medicine SPARK Translational Research Program, is spearheading a program based on the results Raoult found to study the effects of hydroxychloroquine on treating the Wuhan virus.

Anthony Fauci is the chief expert in the United States on infectious diseases and has minimized the existence of a cure and instead believes that many drugs that are currently going through tests may actually reduce the severity of the Wuhan virus. In Fauci’s view, the best medical solution doctors can hope for is a vaccine, which he believes is about a year to 18 months away from being completed.

Rigano praised the results of the study on Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Tonight on Wednesday, asserting that hydroxychloroquine used with azithromycin is the second 100 percent cure for a virus ever discovered. Rigano urged President Donald Trump to “authorize the use of hydroxychloroquine against coronavirus immediately.”

The president frequently watches Tucker Carlson’s show and asks him for advice. Carlson allegedly changed Trump’s approach to the Wuhan virus by calling the disease “a very serious problem” during a monologue segment on March 9, in which he urged the administration and viewers not to panic but to prepare for “a painful period we are powerless to stop.”