US President Donald Trump has once again defended his decision to promote using an anti-Malaria drug, called hydroxychloroquine, as a treatment for covid-19.
“Many doctors think it is extremely successful, the hydroxychloroquine coupled with the zinc and perhaps the azithromycin,” he said during a briefing in the White House on Tuesday. “Many doctors think it’s extremely good, and some people don’t.”
The US president also said that he has been surprised with a decision by Twitter and Facebook to remove from his account a viral video of a group of doctors promoting the use of the drug.
“I guess Twitter took them off and I think Facebook took them off, I don’t know why, I think they’re very respected doctors . . . Maybe they had a good reason [to take them off], maybe they didn’t,” Trump added.
The Republican president's comments come after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the drug’s authorization last month following reports of "serious heart rhythm problems" and other health issues.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also has announced that it has dropped the hydroxychloroquine from its global study due to lack of proof about the drug's effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, clearly announced on Tuesday that he disagrees with the US president on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine.
“The overwhelming prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease,” he noted.
Fauci, as one of the most trusted people in government, is respected by many Americans who listen to his advice diligently on how to protect themselves against the virus.
However, according to many analysts, Trump’s disagreement with Fauci and his failed approach to dealing with the pandemic has put him in jeopardy of losing the Nov. 3 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
On Tuesday, Trump complained about the high ratings of Fauci, joking “nobody likes me.”