Trump defends taking hydroxychloroquine as 'line of defence' despite alleged health risks

Despite risks flagged by various health experts, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his taking antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a 'line of defence' against coronavirus. Trump went on to say that the drug has gotten a bad reputation only because 'he was promoting it'. 

"I think it's worth it as a line of defence and I'll stay on it for a little while longer. I'm just very curious myself, but it seems to be very safe, Trump told reporters at the White House, a day after he disclosed that he has been taking the drug to ward off the deadly infection.

"So, I am obviously a very bad promoter. If anybody else were promoting it, they would say this is the greatest thing ever. It is a very powerful drug I guess but it doesn't harm you and so I thought as a frontline defence, possibly it would be good, and I have had no impact from it," Trump said, adding that the antimalaria drug has received 'tremendous' reviews from doctors all over the world.

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Trump even said: "I have a doctor in the White House. I said what do you think? And it's just a line of defence, he said, adding that the drug was inexpensive." Trump also accused that recent studies claiming drug to be ineffective was 'inaccurate'. "There was a false study done where they gave it to very sick people, extremely sick people, people that were ready to die. It was given by obviously not friends of the administration and the study came out, the people were ready to die. Everybody was old, had bad problems with hearts, diabetes and everything else you can imagine. So, they gave it. So, immediately when it came out, they gave a lot of false information, Trump said."

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About Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine is a drug that's been around for more than 40 years for treatment of malaria. But, early in this process, the FDA approved what's called off-label use where physicians could prescribe hydroxychloroquine in terms they deemed appropriate. So, my physician has not recommended that, but I wouldn't hesitate to take the counsel of my doctor. Any American should do likewise, Pence said.

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Trump has called hydroxychloroquine a "game-changer" drug in the fight against the coronavirus. After Trump's repeated touting of hydroxychloroquine as a "game-changer" cure for the virus, the FDA issued an advisory warning that the drug has not been "shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19." The Trump Administration has bought millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine and stockpiled it.  India has sent several millions of doses to the US as part of its humanitarian gesture. 

India is one of the major manufactures of the drug, which was first synthesised in 1946 and is in a class of medications historically used to treat and prevent malaria. It is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, childhood arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. The drug is not FDA-approved for the treatment of COVID-19 but it has been identified as a possible treatment for the infection and the US government has requested its immediate availability. 

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(with PTI inputs)