Debate heats
Administration has allowed the medication into the national stockpile as an option for doctors to consider for patients who cannot get into one of the studies.
But the drug has major potential side effects, especially for the heart, and Fauci has said more testing is needed before it’s clear that the drug works against the virus and is safe for use.
Navarro told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that doctors in New York hospitals are already distributing the drug to COVID-19 patients and that healthcare workers are taking it in hopes of being protected from infection. Though he acknowledged the debate with Fauci, Navarro said the focus was on whether the administration should send 29 million doses of the drug in Federal Emergency Management Agency warehouses to hard-hit cities.
“The media is trying to blow it up as a big big debate, but I can tell you that within the room the decision was a sound one, and it was unanimous,” Navarro said.
Asked about his credentials for pushing the drug, Navarro cited his doctorate in social science and said that “in the fog of war, we might take more risks than we otherwise would.” “I’d bet on President Trump’s intuition on this one,” he added.
Administration officials say Trump’s embrace of the drug stems from his desire to provide “hope” for the American people as the death toll mounts and he looks to avoid political consequences from the outbreak.
Some limited studies have been conducted on the use of hydroxychloroquine and antibiotic azithromycin in concert to treat COVID-19, but they have not included critical control groups that scientists use to validate the conclusions.
Researchers in China, for instance, reported that cough, pneumonia and fever seemed to improve sooner among 31 patients given hydroxychloroquine compared with 31 others who did not get the drug, but fewer people in the comparison group had cough or fevers to start with.
Many questions have been raised about another study in France. Some of the 26 people given hydroxychloroquine in that test were not counted in the final results, including three who worsened and were sent to intensive care, one who died a day after later testing negative for the virus and one who stopped treatment because of nausea.
The French study was published in an International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy journal. The society’s president wrote on its website that the report “does not meet the society’s expected standard,” especially for explaining what patients were included and excluded, and how their safety was ensured.
At least one other world leader has also promoted the drugs.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, saying he’s heard reports of 100 percent effectiveness when administered in the correct dosages.
On Sunday, he shared a video on social media of Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani interviewing a doctor who claimed he has successfully treated hundreds of coronavirus patients with the drugs.
Trump’s interest in the drug was piqued in part by coverage on conservative media.
On March 16, Fox News ran a segment on a small French study promoting the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine
in treating the coronavirus. Hours later, attorney Gregory Rigano appeared on a primetime show and said evidence suggested that it could rid the body “completely” of the virus.
Almost instantly, just as the projections of the virus’ impact on the nation grew more dire, the drug’s promise bounced around the echo chamber of the conservative media. Just three days later, Trump himself made the first mention of the drug.
Among the loudest voices in the president’s ear has been Giuliani, who has spoken to Trump about the drug and advocated it in interviews and his new podcast. He has had, as guests, several experts touting the drug and made a few late night phone calls to the White House residence.
“I discussed it with the president after he talked about it,” Giuliani said. “I told him what I had on the drugs. Others around him believe it too.”