Donald Trump hails hydroxychloroquine AGAIN saying 'a lot of people swear by it' despite repeated scientific warnings it is dangerous as whistleblower says push to supply it 'cost lives'
- The president touted the 'tremendous response' to the anti-malarial drug
- He attacked Dr. Rick Bright, who has questioned the drug, as 'disgruntled'
- Bright testified Thursday about 'potential safety risks'
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
President Donald Trump returned to touting the unproven benefits of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine against the coronavirus – on a day when a whistle-blower health expert said the push to rush it into use was dangerous.
'We've had a tremendous response to hydroxychloroquine,' Trump said at the White House while setting off on a trip to Pennsylvania.
'A lot of people have sworn by it,' Trump said – before turning his attention to Dr. Rick Bright, the whistleblower who lost his post running the vaccine search and who testified in the House.
'And, yet, I'll tell you what. I watched this guy for a little while this morning. I'll tell you what, to me he's nothing more than a really disgruntled, unhappy person,' Trump said.
'We've had a tremendous response to hydroxychloroquine,' said President Trump Thursday, returning to touting the drug after going quiet on the subject in recent weeks amid mixed reports on utility
'I don't know him. I never met. I don't want to meet him but I watched him, and he looks like an angry, disgruntled employee who, frankly, according to some people, didn't do a very good job,' the president said.
The attacks on Bright did not address another concern about hydroxychlorquine: potential side-effects for patients, including those with heart issues, and and an efficacy that has yet to be proven in the lab.
In morning testimony before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, Dr. Bright revealed his caution about prescribing two anti-malaria drugs touted by Trump - chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine – without benefit of rigorous double-blind scientific study.
Bright is the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Trump returned to promoting the drug after dialing back his support last month after a Veterans Affairs study found a third of veterans who had the coronavirus who were treated with hydroxychloroquine died – faring worse than those with the usual standard of care.
Dr. Richard Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, testified Thursday about 'potential safety risks' of the drug
A pharmacist shows a bottle of the drug hydroxychloroquine on Monday, April 6, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. President Donald Trump and his administration have promoted the anti-malarial drug, even though scientists say more testing is needed before it's proven safe and effective against COVID-19
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Back on April 14th, Trump said of the drug: 'I haven't heard a bad story. It's pretty amazing, actually,' Trump said. 'The word is out.'
In early April, Trump even went as far as to encourage patients to take the drug or drug combinations. 'What do you have to lose? Take it,' he said. 'I really think they should take it. But it's their choice. And it's their doctor's choice or the doctors in the hospital. But hydroxychloroquine. Try it, if you'd like.'
Trump at one point said he would consider taking it.
The Health and Human Services Department announced on March 29 it accepted donations of 30 million doses of the drug to its stockpile.
Bright testified that he was pushed out in part over his criticism of using the drugs.
'I believe part of the removal process for me was initiated because of a push back that I gave when they asked me to put in place an expanded access protocol that would make chloroquine more freely available to Americans that were not under the close supervision of a physician and may not even be confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus,' Bright said.
Bright testified of the 'potential safety risks' doctors saw with the usage of chloroquine including 'irregular heart rhythms and even death.'
'There wasn't sufficient data at that time to support use of this drug with COVID-19 without close physician supervision,' he explained.
Bright said he then became aware that the top people at HHS were pushing to make hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine available outside the emergency use authorization, which had been put in place, and to 'flood New York and New Jersey with the drug regardless of the EUA.'
He talked of an email chain that 'indicated that the White House was asking for that drug to be more broadly used.'
Rep. Buddy Carter, a Georgia Republican, asked Bright if he 'soured' on hydroxychloroquine because Trump was pushing it.
'It has nothing to do with politics sir,' Bright answered. 'I wanted to make sure Americans were aware of the risk of this drug.'
Bright's demotion came after he relayed to a journalist his concerns.
'When I spoke outside of our government and shared my concerns for the American public, that I believe was the straw that broke the camel's back and it escalated my removal,' Bright said.
He said he was familiar with studies, one out of France, another dealing with veterans, that have shown mixed results.
During his testimony Bright had to explain that while there might be some 'anecdotal stories' about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine working 'we won't know that until we have that information from a truly randomized controlled clinical study.'
'Many of those studies are ongoing now,' he said. 'Some of those studies we're starting to see data from and those studies and those populations tested haven't shown an overwhelming evidence of benefit from the use of hydroxychloroquine in those patients.'
