The lead author of the research paper, Prof Mandeep Mehra, from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts had asked the Lancet to withdraw the study saying could no longer vouch for the data’s accuracy. The Guardian's expose had revealed that the Chicago-based company's data used in the article was fake.
When The Guardian contacted 7 Australian hospitals, they stated that they have never heard of Surgisphere and were never contacted by the company to collect data. The Chicago-based company employs a handful of people, including a sci-fi writer and an adult content model.
On the 5th of April 2020, the United States President Donald Trump requested for the release of US order of Hydroxycholroquine which is considered as a possible relief drug for fight against COVID-19.