The World Health Organisation (WHO) has again stopped the solidarity trial of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.

The United Nations agency made this known in a statement on Wednesday, June 17.

The UN Organization said the decision of the WHO is based on evidence showing that hydroxychloroquine does not reduce mortality for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. 

The UN agency further clarified that the decision "applies only to the conduct of the solidarity trial and does not apply to the use or evaluation of hydroxychloroquine in Pre or post-exposure prophylaxis in patients exposed to COVID-19. "

WHO added that patients who have already started using hydroxychloroquine but have not finished their course in the trial might complete their course or stop at the supervising physician's discretion. 

In a recent development, on Tuesday, June 16, the WHO said it welcomed news of positive initial results from the RECOVERY trial of Dexamethasone in the United Kingdom.

Dexamethasone, a common steroid, has been shown to have a beneficial effect on those patients severely ill with COVID-19, the WHO said. 

According to the early findings shared by the WHO, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one fifth for patients on oxygen alone. 

And for patients requiring a ventilator, mortality was reduced by about one third.

However, dexamethasone was shown not to have a beneficial effect for those with milder disease and who did not need respiratory support, according to the world health agency. 

The Agency instructed that the drugs should only be used under close clinical supervision.

WHO added that it would update its clinical guidance to reflect how and when dexamethasone should be used to treat COVID-19.

Recall, the World Health Organisation, in May, initiated the Solidarity Trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of four drugs, including hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19.

In the same month, the WHO announced that it had suspended hydroxychloroquine clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19.

Read Also: WHO SUSPENDS HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE CLINICAL TRIALS

The Agency said its decision was based on fears raised by experts that the drug could adversely affect the lives of the Coronavirus patients. 

Meanwhile, the United States President, Donald Trump, before he left the WHO, insisted that the drug is a possible treatment for the disease caused by the novel virus. 

Read Also: COVID-19: PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HE IS TAKING HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE DESPITE EXPERTS WARNINGS

The WHO's boss, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, again in June announced his intention to resume hydroxychloroquine trials just a week after he suspended the drug trial. 

Read Also: BREAKING: WHO TO RESUME HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE TRIALS

According to him, the Agency's decision is based on the Data and Monitoring committee's recommendation that there are no reasons to modify the trial protocol.