‘Being a Doctor and Courageous Runs in My Family’: French Scientist Behind Hydroxychloroquine Treatment for COVID-19

‘Self-esteem is more important than the esteem of others,’ Didier Raoult said. ‘I need to be agreed with myself. This is critical.’

Virologist Didier Raoult addresses a press conference on COVID-19 at the IHU medical institute in Marseille on April 20, 2022. Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images

Didier Raoult, a renowned French microbiologist, announced hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as an effective cure for COVID-19 on Feb. 25, 2020. The following month, former U.S. President Donald Trump cited his research and called the drug a “game changer.” Since then, Dr. Raoult has been engulfed in a global controversy.

Initially, in March 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted HCQ, a drug widely used against malaria and arthritis, an emergency use authorization (EUA) for treating COVID-19.