Algerian authorities have vowed they will not give up on the controversial use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment against coronavirus, despite the decision of the World Health Organization (WHO) to suspend clinical trials, a member of the Pandemic Monitoring Committee said Tuesday.

And we have not noted any adverse reactions,” Dr. Mohamed Bekkat, a member of the Scientific Committee monitoring the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic in Algeria, told AFP.

Since the end of March, thousands of contaminated Algerians have received treatment based on hydroxychloroquine, according to Dr. Djamel Fourar, spokesman for the Scientific Committee monitoring the evolution of the pandemic.

This decision follows the publication of a study in the medical journal The Lancet that found that the use of chloroquine or its derivatives, such as hydroxychloroquine, against the new coronavirus is ineffective or even harmful.

For Dr. Bekkat, this study “is confusing” because it “seems to concern serious cases for which hydroxychloroquine is of no help”.