It HCQ doesn't work, why is it the common first line of defense used internationally? Why does scholar.google.com list so many papers showing that it's effective?
"No serious cardiac adverse effects were recorded in malaria clinical trials of 35,548 participants who received quinoline and structurally related antimalarials with close follow-up including 18,436 individuals who underwent ECG evaluation."
"Chloroquine is the most widely used antimalarial drug in history. It has a terminal elimination half-life of one month and an annual consumption of hundreds of tonnes for over 50 years, so it may be the drug to which humans have been exposed to most. Despite producing consistent QT prolongation, the only case reports of TdP and sudden death have been for its use for non-malaria indications such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis, where high doses are used for much longer than in malaria treatment, or in overdose"
They are often conflated in the media and colloquial reporting.
Anyone can verify what I'm saying if they go to scholar.google.com
Lastly, the argument of "if countries outside the US are prescribing it, it must work" is just nonsensical. Doctors prescribing a drug is not evidence a drug works.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.statista.com/chart/amp/2141...