EU bans use of anti-malaria drugs for clinical treatment of covid-19

A further blow has been dealt on the treatment promoted by US President Donald Trump for COVID-19 after European governments on Wednesday moved to halt the use of anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients.

The moves by France, Italy and Belgium followed a World Health Organization decision on Monday to pause a large trial of hydroxychloroquine due to safety concerns.

A UK regulator said that a separate trial was also being put on hold, less than a week after it started.

The study, being led by the University of Oxford and partly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was expected to involve as many as 40,000 healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, China will soon relax its border controls for seven more countries, the country’s civil aviation agency said, allowing domestic and foreign airlines to apply for the so-called “green channels” for chartered flights to the mainland.

Among those countries are Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Switzerland. South Korea was the first country to establish the “green channel” with China earlier this month.