Please Tell Me Trump’s Doctor Didn’t Really Just Prescribe Him Hydroxychloroquine
If the White House doctor really did write the president a prescription for the risky, unproven treatment just because he asked for it, it’s grossly irresponsible.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty
I actually thought we were through with hydroxychloroquine.
That medication, which has legitimate uses for the treatment of malaria and certain autoimmune disorders like lupus, was dubiously touted by President Trump earlier this spring as a potential miracle treatment for COVID-19. At one point, he proclaimed that tens of millions of doses had been released to the nation’s doctors struggling with the pandemic illness that has now killed more than 90,000 Americans.
Unfortunately, at this time, there is no reliable evidence to support the use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of the novel coronavirus. There is, however, ample evidence of the potential for very serious, potentially fatal side effects from the medication. It was because of these side effects that clinical trials using it to treat COVID-19 were halted in France and Brazil, and that an NIH-backed (not peer-reviewed) study of patients at the Veterans Administration concluded it was more strongly associated with killing than relieving ailing veterans. The Food and Drug Administration went so far as to issue a warning to the general public about use of the medication outside of hospital settings.
