Popular in the media ... And bookseller! The book signed by the controversial professor of Marseille medicine Didier Raoult, Epidemics: real dangers and false alarms (Michel Lafon), ranks 17th in the list of best selling books, GfK- Books Weekly, said Friday the professional magazine from the publishing world.
Read also: Didier Raoult: "At one point, there are things that need to change"
Published on March 27 and, according to Professor Raoult, written in one month, this 90-page book was printed in 12,000 copies. The book reviews the history of recent epidemics such as the H1N1 and Ebola viruses, before tackling that of the coronavirus. The professor of microbiology at the University Hospital Institute (IHU) in Marseille affirms the effectiveness of treatment with chloroquine to combat the pathogen.
Two studies published Friday revealed that hydroxychloroquine, the chloroquine derivative promoted as a treatment by Didier Raoult, does not seem to be effective against Covid-19, whether in severely or more mildly affected patients.
Read also: Coronavirus: hydroxychloroquine is not effective, according to two studies
The book ranks first among the best sellers in the essay category. Carried out just before the reopening of bookshops on Monday, the GfK- Books Weekly classification indicates that during the week of May 4 to 10, book sales again lost 69.3% in value and 63.4% in number of copies sold, compared to the same week of 2019.