The French government cancelled a decree allowing doctors to use hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for severe cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
France is the first to make the move after the WHO said on Monday that it was pausing a large trial of the drug over safety concerns.
The cancellation of the decree, which in effect means the drug is now banned for such use, was announced in the government’s official bulletin and confirmed by a statement by the health ministry. It did not refer to the WHO suspension.
France had decided at the end of March to start allowing the use of the drug in hospital settings in specific situations when treating COVID-19 patients.
See Reuters.
