Hydroxychloroquine and Covid-19 saga

The health emergency perceived during the Covid-19 pandemic led some physicians to the therapeutic use of hydroxychloroquine, sometimes in association with azithromycin. This work provides an ethical and sociological analysis of a significant conflict in the world between care and research. The beneficence principle requires consideration for the evidence level. The non-maleficence principle "primum non nocere" opposes the "moral dictation of action". Equipoise situations require high quality randomized controlled trials. Data on hydroxychloroquine do not show any higher efficacy than routine care. Accelerating the dissemination of data from poor quality trials is contrary to the prudence that guides the caregiver-researcher and may be opportunistic.