FDA  kills approval of Trump touted drugs

The United States  FDA has withdrawn the emergency authorization of two treatments against COVID-19 touted by President Donald Trump, due to their lack of efficacy and concerns about its risks.

“It is no longer reasonable to believe that the oral formulas HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) and CQ (chloroquine) are effective in treating COVID-19,” wrote  FDA  top scientist Denise Hinton,

“It is also not reasonable to believe that the known and potential benefits of these products exceed their known and potential risk,” he said in announcing the end of their emergency use.

The FDA had given the green light on March 30 for the antimalarial treatments to be prescribed, only in hospitals, to patients contaminated by the new coronavirus.

Trump placed high hopes on hydroxychloroquine,   its efficacy  against covid-19 was never demonstrated. “There is a good chance it could have a big impact. It would be a blessing if it worked,” he had noted.

He himself later underwent preventive treatment with hydroxychloroquine for two weeks.

But the FDA warned April 25 against using the two antimalarials “outside of a hospital or clinical trial because of the risk of heart rhythm disorders.”

France, where a controversial doctor, Professor Didier Raoult, defended and highlighted hydroxychloroquine, banned its use on May 28 in treatment against coronavirus.

President Trump was seen to be unsteady on his feet and frequently sipped water  at a West Point graduation ceremony last week, raising concerns about his health.