President Trump pushed health health officials to make anti-malaria drugs available as coronavirus treatment although it was untested to treat COVID-19, two sources told Reuters.
The president told top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) to place focus on the drugs cloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as potential treatment, the two sources said.
After pressure from the president, the federal government issued guidance saying doctors had the option to prescribe these drugs, while citing unattributed anecdotes instead of the usual peer-reviewed science.
The White House told Reuters in a statement that Trump had not started a “pressure campaign” but was taking appropriate action.
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Trump has voiced support for the drugs, specifically on his Twitter. His supporters say they approve of using the drugs in a pandemic as there is no proven treatment for COVID-19.
But research has shown that specific people who use the drugs can experience an interrupted heartbeat or a cardiac arrhythmia, and the drugs “may pose particular risk to critically ill persons,” according to Reuters.
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Trump pushed health officials to make anti-malaria drugs available as coronavirus treatment although it was untested to treat COVID-19: report https://t.co/fVodmU7fjw pic.twitter.com/EyaUQJ2q2F
— The Hill (@thehill) April 5, 2020
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