Americans should not take a drug the President has been promoting, according to the National Institute of Health. The agency has warned of “potential toxicities.”
A panel put together by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease issued the advice about hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. Dr. Anthony Fauci is head of the NIAID.
“At present, no drug has been proven to be safe and effective for treating COVID-19,” the panel said.
“There are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs specifically to treat patients with COVID-19.”
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They referred specifically to drugs that President Trump has repeatedly mentioned, saying there was no evidence that they were effective treatments and should be avoided.
“There are insufficient clinical data to recommend either for or against using chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19,” the agency said.
The panel recommends against the use of “The combination of hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin (AIII) because of the potential for toxicities.”
Trump has touted these drugs for several weeks, without evidence of their efficacy. However, following a recent study, the President appears to have changed course.
“Obviously there have been some very good reports and perhaps this one’s not a good report—but we’ll be looking at it,” Trump said at his Tuesday briefing.
In March, Trump said the drug could be “one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine”.
“I sure as hell think we ought to give it a try,” he said.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
