Trump defends use of unproven drug to ward off coronavirus
US President Donald Trump has defended taking the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to try to ward off the coronavirus, despite the drug’s potentially fatal side effects.
“People are going to have to make up their own mind,” Trump said Tuesday during a visit to the US Capitol. “I think it gives you an additional level of safety.”
Medical experts have warned that Trump’s announced use of a malaria drug could spark wide misuse by Americans of the unproven treatment.
Last month, Trump promoted the drug as a potential treatment against the virus based on a report about its use, but subsequent studies found that it was not helpful.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about potential serious side effects with the use of the drug in COVID-19 patients.
At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump falsely denied the existence of an FDA warning about the use of hydroxychloroquine for the coronavirus.
He also claimed without any evidence that a study on military veterans who were given the drug was conducted by political opponents.
The United States has the world’s highest coronavirus death toll and infections, with more than 1.5 million confirmed cases and nearly 93,000 deaths as of Wednesday morning.
Aiming to end America’s dependence on China and other countries for drugs, the Trump administration awarded a contract for a new US company to manufacture drugs to fight COVID-19 on US soil.
The US Department of Health and Human Services said it had awarded a four-year, $354 million contract to Virginia-based Phlow Corp to make coronavirus drugs.
“For far too long, we’ve relied on foreign manufacturing and supply chains for our most important medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients while placing America’s health, safety, and national security at grave risk,” Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, said in a statement.
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