The row over a Lancet paper warning against hydroxychloroquine treatment for COVID-19 has flared again with new claims it relied on data from a company led by a surgeon named in three medical malpractice lawsuits.

The observational study of 15,000 patients concluded the drug had no therapeutic benefit against COVID-19 and increased the risk of death by 35-45%.

In response, the WHO has suspended its own international trial of hydroxychloroquine therapy, several countries including France banned use of the drug for COVID-19, and Australia halted recruitment for its own drug trial.

Now, it has been claimed by The Guardian that the data for the Lancet study came from a company run by a doctor facing three malpractice cases in the US.