THREAD: A couple days ago, the WHO stopped #hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID, citing data that it is not effective.

The last time the WHO halted its HCQ trials (May 25), it was prompted by extensive data from a mysterious healthcare analytics firm: SURGISPHERE.

On its website, Surgisphere touted relationships with hundreds of research facilities like University of Minnesota, Stanford, University of Utah & Glasgow, who have all denied such relationships.

(This week the Surgisphere website disappeared.)

Surisphere’s patient data, on which the WHO based its decision, supposedly included the largest health systems on Earth - a big project indeed.

But as @JamesTodaroMD noted last month, Surgisphere's LinkedIn page showed just five employees. Today, that number is one.

Of the #Surgisphere employees we know about:

- A CEO who is involved in four medical malpractice lawsuits
- A science editor who appears to be a science FICTION author
- A public relations executive who appears to be an adult model

After the scandal came to light, thanks to researchers like @JamesTodaroMD, the firm seems to have ceased operations.

But The Lancet had already published a study based on Surgisphere's data, which reported that #hydroxychloroquine corresponded to a higher death rate.

The Lancet Study been retracted, but not before headlines like this. Will we ever get to the bottom of this?

From @MelissaLDavey at the Guardian:

So, that was the last time WHO halted its investigation into HCQ - based on fraudulent data.

This time, it was based on a study that used unsafe HCQ dose levels. What's going on? https://twitter.com/zev_dr/status/1274162042027626496?s=20

https://twitter.com/JamesTodaroMD/status/1276138871009488897?s=20