This was published 4 years ago
'I think it's good': Donald Trump says he's taking hydroxychloroquine
Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced that he is taking the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in a bid to prevent contracting COVID-19, even though his own health authorities have cautioned Americans against using the drug as a coronavirus treatment.
Trump stunned White House reporters on Monday (Tuesday AEST) by saying he has taken hydroxychloroquine and a zinc supplement daily "for about a week and a half now."
US President Donald Trump is taking an unproven drug with potentially dangerous side-effects.Credit: Bloomberg
Trump spent weeks pushing the drug, which is also used to treat ailments such as lupus, as a potential cure for COVID-19 against the cautionary advice of many of his administration's top medical professionals.
The drug has the potential to cause significant side effects in some patients and has not been shown to combat the new coronavirus.
Trump said his doctor did not recommend the drug to him, but he requested it from the White House physician.
"I've been taking it for the last week and a half. A pill every day," Trump told reporters.
"I started taking it, because I think it's good. I've heard a lot of good stories."
He dismissed reports of side effects, saying, "All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK."
Studies have shown hydroxychloroquine to have no conclusive effects in preventing COVID-19.Credit: AP/Ben Margot
In April the US Food and Drug Administration issued an official warning cautioning against the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems.
"Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19," the FDA said in its statement.
"Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can cause abnormal heart rhythms such as QT interval prolongation and a dangerously rapid heart rate called ventricular tachycardia."
Leanna Wen, a visiting public health professor at George Washington University, tweeted: "There is NO evidence for hydrochloroquine being effective in treatment of #covid19 or prophylaxis to prevent the disease. This is a medication that has serious side effects. I am very concerned about @realDonaldTrump continuing to model behaviour that could harm many Americans."
Moments after Trump's statements Fox News host Neil Cavuto urged his viewers not to take the drug unless it has been advised by their doctor.
"If you are in a risky population here and you are taking this as a preventative treatment to ward off the virus or worst case scenario you are dealing with the virus...it will kill you," Cavuto said. "I cannot stress this enough: it will kill you."
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group, and in his, shall we say, weight group.
"'Morbidly obese,' they say."
Two large observational studies, each involving around 1400 patients in New York, recently found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine for the coronavirus. Two new ones published Thursday in the medical journal BMJ reached the same conclusion.
One, by French researchers, gave 84 hospitalised patients the drug and 97 others the usual care. There were no differences in the odds of death, need for intensive care or developing severe illness.
The other study from China was a stricter test: 150 adults hospitalised with mild or moderate illness were randomly assigned to get hydroxychloroquine or usual care. The drug made no difference in rates of clearing the virus or time to relief of symptoms, and they brought more side effects.
In April, the National Institutes of Health launched a study testing hydroxychloroquine versus a placebo drug in 500 hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Last week, NIH announced another study to see if hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin can prevent hospitalisation or death in people with mild to moderate illness. About 2000 US adults with confirmed coronavirus infections and symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath will get the drugs or placebo pills.