In May 2020, The Lancet published a study claiming hydroxychloroquine increased COVID death risk, causing the WHO and multiple countries to halt clinical trials. The data came from Surgisphere, a tiny company with fewer than a dozen employees that claimed access to hospital records from 671 hospitals across six continents. The study was retracted after authors 'could no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.' By then, multiple trials had been permanently disrupted.