The Lancet's Hydroxychloroquine Study Built on Unverifiable Data
A Lancet study drawing on a purported global hospital database from the firm Surgisphere reported that COVID patients given hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die in the hospital.

The finding reinforced skepticism of a drug President Trump had heavily promoted.
What was reported
A Lancet study drawing on a purported global hospital database from the firm Surgisphere reported that COVID patients given hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die in the hospital.
What actually happened
The study prompted the WHO to pause hydroxychloroquine trials and was widely reported. Researchers quickly found implausible numbers, and Surgisphere would not provide its data for audit. On June 4, 2020, three of the four authors retracted the paper, saying they could no longer vouch for the primary data.
The proof
The Lancet's June 4, 2020 retraction notice, requested by the authors themselves.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
The Lancet's Hydroxychloroquine Study Built on Unverifiable Data — Retracted. The Lancet's June 4, 2020 retraction notice, requested by the authors themselves. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/lancet-surgisphere-hydroxychloroquine/
Original reporting
- The Lancet (via PubMed Central): Mehra et al., hydroxychloroquine registry analysis (May 22, 2020)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255293
Corrections, findings & records
- The Lancet (via PubMed Central): Retraction notice (June 4, 2020)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7274621
- The Guardian: Surgisphere data investigation (June 3, 2020)https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/covid-19-surgisphere-who-world-health-organization-hydroxychloroquine
- Wikipedia: Surgisphere (timeline and sources)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgisphere
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: The Lancet (via PubMed Central): Mehra et al., hydroxychloroquine registry analysis (May 22, 2020)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255293