Media Touted Study Against Hydroxychloroquine Exposed as Fraudulent

From the story: A Guardian investigation can reveal the US-based company Surgisphere, whose handful of employees appear to include a science fiction writer and an adult-content model, has provided data for multiple studies on Covid-19 co-authored by its chief executive, but has so far failed to adequately explain its data or methodology (The Guardian). 

From David Harsanyi:  There’s really no other way to describe the manic reaction to a drug that has been widely, though anecdotally, said to have therapeutic value against the coronavirus. Politicians have blocked attempts to study the drug. The number of shoddy pieces of journalism surrounding hydroxychloroquine is just remarkable. Apparently, it is also dangerous (National Review).  

From another story: The studies produced by this company were published by Lancet, a renowned medical journal, and used as evidence to attack Donald Trump with. Lancet has now issued an “expression of concern,” demanding that the company provide details on their data and methodology. Given what’s already been revealed, you’d think they’d just disown the studies altogether, but I suspect they want to save face (Red State). 

From the Wall Street Journal: Lancet editors last month published an editorial urging Americans to vote out President Trump, so it’s fair to ask if political bias clouded their scientific judgment and caused their publication standards to slip. The World Health Organization’s knee-jerk reaction to the study has also further undermined its scientific authority, though on Wednesday it said it is restarting its HCL trial (WSJ).