Study retracted years after popularizing controversial COVID-19 treatment

One of the most notable scientific papers that first popularized hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment was retracted from its journal due to ethical and methodological issues.

Retractions in scientific journals are rare and typically undergo an extensive investigative process. These retractions have been known to negatively affect the potential future employment, funding and reputation of researchers involved.

The paper, published in 2020 in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, originally claimed that treatments with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, reduced virus levels in COVID patients and was more effective if used alongside an antibiotic, known as azithromycin.

A notice from Elsevier, which publishes the journal, said: "Concerns have been raised regarding this article, the substance of which relate to the articles' adherence to Elsevier's publishing ethics policies and the appropriate conduct of research involving human participants, as well as concerns raised by three of the authors themselves regarding the article's methodology and conclusions."

The notice was attached to the paper, which remains on the journal's website with a watermark that says "Retracted."

The results of the paper and promise of the use of the drug were widely shared by media outlets, on social media as well as by high-profile politicians.

President-elect Donald Trump during his first term even promoted a video on Twitter, now X, that supported hydroxychloroquine. The video was later taken down by the social media site.

The FDA in March 2020 issued an emergency use authorization (EUA), allowing doctors to treat COVID patients in the hospital with hydroxychloroquine. However, the temporary authorization was revoked three months later after more robust studies failed to find a benefit that outweighed potential risks.

Scientists had almost immediately raised concerns about the paper given the small sample size and short peer-review time -- a period where scientific papers undergo scrutiny by fellow scientists.

They also pointed to some issues with the methodology, how the research was conducted in terms of the scientific process.

Larger studies done by the National Institutes of Health had shown no benefits of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment as well as some risks, including heart rhythm problems.

The drug is no longer recommended for use as a COVID treatment by major public health and medical organizations.