Didier Raoult's Hydroxychloroquine Study Officially Retracted After Years of Controversy

The 2020 study, once touted as a breakthrough in COVID-19 treatment, has been invalidated due to ethical violations, data manipulation, and methodological flaws.

The study, published in March 2020, claimed hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin effectively treated COVID-19 but has now been retracted by the journal's publisher, Elsevier.
Investigations revealed numerous ethical breaches, including lack of patient consent, unauthorized use of medications, and manipulated data.
The research was criticized for its flawed methodology, such as a small sample size, lack of randomization, and conflicts of interest involving the journal's editorial leadership.
The retraction follows mounting pressure from scientists and three co-authors who raised concerns about the study's integrity earlier this year.
The study's promotion led to widespread, unproven use of hydroxychloroquine, resulting in reported health risks, resource misallocation, and global misinformation during the pandemic.