Written by Physician’s Weekly blogger, Skeptical Scalpel
Now for something completely different. Here is the first edition of the Skeptical Scalpel Awards.
Coronavirus Research Awards (3-Way Tie for Runner Up)

Sachdev Sidhu
Another side effect of COVID-19 seems to be sketchy research.
University of Toronto molecular engineer Sachdev Sidhu has developed a cure for COVID-19 says an article in the Toronto Star. The researcher said, “Yes, I believe ‘cure’ is the proper word.” According to Health News Review, the article was noteworthy because it contained no proof that a cure was at hand and no link to a published study. That is because the magic potion has not even been tested on animals.

Zev Zelenko
Our next second-place awardee is Dr. Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko, family practitioner and major proponent of the use of hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and azithromycin to treat COVID -19. Among his claims is that he treated anywhere from 300 to 1450 COVID-19 patients. Of 405 high risk patients treated early in the course of their illnesses, there were “2 deaths, four on respirators. The rest recovered fully.” Those are mighty impressive numbers, but no one else has seen the data. It should come as no surprise that the fact checking website Snopes was unable to substantiate his claims.

Didier Raoult
After community leaders in the town where he practiced criticized him for spreading misinformation, Zelenko decided to leave his practice—destination unknown.
The third second-place award winner is French microbiologist Didier Raoult, another proponent of hydroxychloroquine, which he claims cured patients with COVID-19 100% of the time. He was featured in a May 12 New York Times profile which was less than incisive. On May 27, the French government banned the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 outside of clinical trials. Beware of those hawking 100% cure rates. For a complete evisceration of the Frenchman, visit the Respectful Insolence blog.
The first place award will be shared among the authors of both of these two now-retracted studies. “Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis” appeared in The Lancet and the other, “Cardiovascular Disease, Drug Therapy, and Mortality in COVID-19,” was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The two journals are considered by many to be the most prestigious in the world.
The retractions came about because the authors said they were “unable to validate the primary data sources underlying our article.” The data was amassed by a previously little-known small company called Surgisphere.
The two papers caused quite a stir when they were first published. The Lancet study found that hydroxychloroquine was associated with an increased risk of arrhythmias and death. Based on that information, a multicenter randomized controlled trial on that topic was suspended.
The NEJM paper found that a history of cardiovascular disease is a risk factor for in-hospital death, but the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers was not associated with an increased risk of hospital death.
Most Misguided Twitter Mob
A few days ago, actor Alyssa Milano tweeted the following:
A large number of angry people criticized her for wearing a mask with holes in it. It turns out that these masks are commercially made and contain a pocket which holds a filter. Ms. Milano pointed this out in a much less viewed tweet.
The Best Non-COVID Story of the Month is Wired magazine’s “On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity.”
Maybe they mean warm commodity. In case you didn’t know, “Urea, the second most common compound in human urine after water, can be mixed with moon dirt and used for construction.” It forms a substance similar to concrete and could play a role in protecting astronauts from radiation since the moon has no atmosphere.
Urine can be recycled into water for human consumption and urea could be used to help make fertilizer. “Researchers at the German Aerospace Center have been successfully growing vegetables in human urine for years.”
Please pass the asparagus.
A retired surgeon presuming expertise on infectious disease medicine is the biggest boast of all, far surpassing any impropriety of the individuals he gaslighted.
A website for physicians using “Snopes” as a citation?
I don’t feel like I live in reality anymore. These extreme politicization of everything. Hydroxychloroquine has been well established by now as a COVID-19 treatment. You do not value human life if your childish political feuds on Facebook are so important to you that you use tabloid “Snopes” to slander physicians for using an effective treatment amidst a pandemic.
Shame on you.
If we had follow Dr Zelenko’s advice 30-40% of the 250, 000 deaths in the US could have been avoided. they are doing the same thing to Ivermectin, it is used all over the world, it prevents and cures COVID 19, it is a safe drug, used since 1970 for more than 1.2 Billion people, it is called: The Third Wonder Drug after Penicillin and Aspirin.
I have to sit and watch my patients dying every day and I can not use Ivermectin.
Instead of making fun you should be finding solutions. Patients have been left with NO TREATMENT when they come down with coronavirus. I have seen it again and again. A family medicine doctor who doesn’t have a clue tells the positive patient to go home until they feel better or sicker then go to the hospital. WITH NO PROPHYLAXIs. No advice, No nothing. Dr. Zelenko and others like him are angels and at least think out of the box. You guys just wash your hands of it and let patients whither on the covid vine. THAT is why the death toll has been high. Low quality of care.
Thought you were the joke then I saw Snopes. Seriously? Lolololol
Yep, once again, The truth is being snuffed out as “a joke”. The public isn’t that gullible…or are we??? Kudos to Dr. Z for being brave enough to speak out. Shame on Physicians Weekly for trying to snuff out useful information, and mock intelligent individuals who are trying to help people, despite all the coverups and agendas going on. Hey Physicians Weekly….who fact checks SNOPES???? They are one big joke. Do some research on them why don’t you. The jokes on you!!!
I agree with you. How ignorant and unprofessional to put down doctors publicly. And by the way, Dr. Raoult is an Infectious Disease doctor; how quaint of Physician’s Weekly not to acknowledge this.
The docs in this article are being wakefielded.
This page is somewhat ridiculous. It mocks doctors who have saved people’s lives. Think about that a moment.
Yes this is a propaganda site whose intent is to trash anything but the corporate rhetoric.
If you can’t argue the facts, then discredit the source-ad hominem…moving on, looking for non-conspiracy theorists.
JAMA and NEJM use snopes all the time, right?
Dr. Zelenko took a little time off for a surgical procedure.
Zelenko did not leave his practice! He still healing the people!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFwjY0qe7ro
I wish we had more doctors like Dr Zelenko who are willing to put their reputation on the line to protect his patients. Why are their no studies attempted by researchers to replicate Dr. zelenko’s findings/outcome. Why on Earth won’t anyone take this risk? Why would anyone prefer to start treating COVID patients once they are in hospital if they had the choice to treat a disease in the early stages at home? This just doesn’t make sense. Are big pharmas burying good outcomes such as Dr. Zelenko’s? Is this a financial decision? Not big profits in a $20 treatment. Meanwhile Rome is burning and people at higher risk are dying.
Looks like there’s good evidence Dr. Zelenko was correct in a subsequent study. The reliance on snopes to verify medical claims (or anything beyond basic facts) is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in a normally good publication.
https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)30534-8/fulltext