A French hospital has stopped a study into the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus due to potential cardiac side effects.

Professor Emile Ferrari, head of cardiology at Nice University Hospital, France, said they have stopped using the drug after noticing it can cause serious complications that can trigger heart attacks, when combined with azithromycin.

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Speaking about the incident, he said: “We highlighted the major risks of a very serious accident in a patient, and the treatment was immediately stopped.”

Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malaria drug currently being trialled as a treatment for coronavirus. While it has been lauded by Donald Trump, it has not yet been shown to be safe or effective against the virus. Nice University Hospital had been among those selected to test the treatment plan.

Ferrari added that for those with heart conditions, it could be “that the remedy is more harmful than the disease itself”.

“HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine,” the President tweeted, in late March.

“What do you have to lose? Take it,” Trump added, on Saturday.

It seems that people might have a lot to lose, Mr President.