FDA pulls emergency authorization for Trump’s favorite coronavirus drug

[Chris Smith]

• Hydroxychloroquine use in coronavirus treatment is no longer authorized, the FDA announced.
• The agency said the anti-malarial drug can only be used in clinical trials, citing recent study as clear evidence that hydroxychloroquine can not cure COVID-19 and can’t prevent the coronavirus infection.
• The drug can still be prescribed off-label for COVID-19, and it can be used to treat malaria and rheumatoid arthritis.

Hydroxychloroquine is the most controversial coronavirus therapy of the year, mostly because Trump endorsed the unproven drug before studies had been completed. In mid-March, the president relied on early data from studies that did not meet standards for clinical trials. The drug, which is safe to use against malaria and rheumatoid arthritis, received emergency use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for COVID-19 therapies.

A number of studies that appeared in the last few weeks provided evidence that hydroxychloroquine isn’t effective at blocking the virus, and can’t prevent infection with COVID-19. One of the studies prompted governments and the World Health Organization to pause testing, but those trials were resumed after the study was retracted. Compared to mid-March, there’s now enough data to suggest that hydroxychloroquine isn’t a viable therapy in COVID-19, and the FDA has announced that it’s pulling the emergency use authorization.

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FDA pulls emergency authorization for Trump’s favorite coronavirus drug originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 16 Jun 2020 at 10:52:31 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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