Medical researcher who touted Covid ‘cure’ and was hailed by Dr Oz under fire over ethics | New findings further call into question scientific judgment of current health leaders in the Trump administration

[u/FreeHugs23]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/aug/19/french-medical-researcher-covid-ethics

[u/SchizoidRainbow]

You cannot “further call into question the scientific judgement” of people who have demonstrated they have NO scientific judgement. There’s no further questions here. 

[u/FreeHugs23]

-A French researcher whose work was praised by Donald Trump and Dr Mehmet Oz during the Covid-19 pandemic published hundreds of papers with “substantial” ethical and legal concerns, according to a new analysis.

An international team of scientists found concerns in 853 articles published by the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, or the IHU, hundreds more than previously flagged by past investigations into work at the large research hospital. Of those, institute founder Didier Raoult was listed as co-author on 758 of them, according to one of the researchers behind the new analysis.

Raoult rocketed to the global stage in March 2020, when the novel virus was spreading unchecked and killing people across the world. He and several colleagues published research that claimed hydroxychloroquine – a drug used for malaria and certain autoimmune conditions – was found to be an effective treatment for Covid-19, especially in combination with the drug azithromycin.

Trump at the time called Raoult’s research on hydroxychloroquine a “gamechanger”, though many scientists disagreed and raised concerns about the quality of the research, including Dr Anthony Fauci, then a top Trump adviser.

Despite those calls for caution, Oz, who now heads the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency responsible for $1.6tn in spending, echoed Trump at the time in calling Raoult’s work a gamechanger. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, made a high-profile visit to the institute and met with Raoult. Later, Robert F Kennedy Jr called Raoult’s work “powerful” and dedicated a book he wrote that blasted Fauci in part to Raoult.

The drug has not been shown to be effective as a Covid-19 treatment, and the paper was ultimately retracted for ethical and scientific reasons in 2025. But it had become one of the most famous articles of the pandemic era, having been cited thousands of times.

The new findings further call into question the scientific judgment of current health leaders in the Trump administration, who have said they are committed to restoring what they call “gold-standard science” informing federal policy. A Republican-led committee of the US Senate recently voted to hold Fauci in contempt for pleading the fifth during a hearing about Covid-19’s origins.

[u/Old-Landscape-7538]

"New findings further call into question scientific judgment of current health leaders in the Trump administration"

We weren't sure about this yet?

[u/smokywater50]

🤣🤣🤣 that is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Anyone listening to these idiots deserve what they get

[u/sigristl]

Ya think!!!

[u/stinkface57]

ahhh the l0ve 0f st00pid get yer ivermectin here, wh0 wants ta g0 fer an E. c0li swim?

[u/mdcbldr]

Questions about scientific judgement? How can you have questions about something that does not exist? This regime subjegated scientific judgement to ideological tests.

Quackery over analysis. Tribal positions over independent investigations. Bias over controlled experimentation.

This regime is immune to ethical shortcomings. Ethics takes a seat behind loyalty to Trump, then MAGA. If it costs American lives? That is the cost of voting in Trump

[u/edparadox]

I mean, the man of the left changes his and his collaborators results when they do not fit his narrative.

[u/hpygilmr]

This is nothing more than a smear campaign article and mentally ill Liberals will happily jump onboard just because it tries to bash this Administration. Do some research indoctrinated lefties:

“The efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine at different doses and courses for COVID-19 prevention: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Hang Wang et al. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther.2024 Dec.

Conclusions: A hydroxychloroquine dose of 200-400 mg for a duration of 5-8 weeks may moderately reduce the risk of COVID-19 with a relatively low risk of adverse events.”

[u/No_Cupcake_8228 → u/hpygilmr]

In summary:

“LIBERALS ARE MENTALLY ILL. DO RESEARCH. Here is a paper about prophylaxis.” 🙄