Image copyright
EPA
Donald Trump has advocated hydroxychloroquine as a prevention
US President Donald Trump has said he is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus.
Speaking at the White House, he told reporters he started taking the malaria and lupus medication recently.
“I’m taking it for about a week and a half now and I’m still here, I’m still here,” he said.
There is no scientific evidence hydroxychloroquine can fight off coronavirus, but clinical trials are under way to see if it is effective.
Asked on Monday what was his evidence of the drug’s positive benefits, Mr Trump said: “Here’s my evidence, I get a lot of positive calls about it.”
- What’s known about anti-malarial drugs and Covid-19?
- The unproven ‘corona drug’ US is threatening India for
The Food and Drug Administration has granted temporary authorisation of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus in hospitals where clinical trials are not available.
But the US government agency has cited reports that the drug can cause serious heart rhythm problems in Covid-19 patients, as it warned last month against use of the medication outside hospitals.