Trump ends two-week course of taking hydroxychloroquine drug

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• In his interview with Sharyl Attkisson last Sunday, President Donald Trump claimed he just finished taking the hydroxychloroquine drug from a two-week course.
• He defended his action of taking the drug and promoted it again during the interview amid warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that using the medicine for COVID-19 could cause serious heart problems.
• Several studies showed that hydroxychloroquine was ineffective or caused more harm to COVID-19 patients who took the drug.

President Donald Trump announced that he was done taking hydroxychloroquine, which he took for two weeks. The medicine is known as anti-malarial drug which he repeatedly promoted as COVID-19 treatment even without scientific basis and though evidence suggests it could yield harmful effects.

The two White House workers who tested positive for the virus triggered the president to take the two-week drug program.

“Finished, just finished. And by the way, I’m still here,” he said in an exclusive interview with Sharyl Attkisson that aired on Sinclair Broadcasting Sunday. 

Despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Trump still defended his practice of taking the drug and even talked about it in the interview. FDA cautioned that using hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, especially for self-medication, could lead to potential serious heart problems.

Trump said that the drug worked well in many cases, but did not acknowledge other researches saying about the risks of it. “Well, I’ve heard tremendous reports about it. Frankly, I’ve heard tremendous reports. Many people think it saved their lives. Doctors come out with reports. You had a study in France, you had a study in Italy that were incredible studies.”

Trump told the media last week that he was taking the drug after consulting with his physician. He also argued without proof that thousands of workers, which include doctors and nurses, were taking the drug to avoid being infected by the disease.

Pressed by reporters why he was taking it, Trump said he thinks it’s good. “I’ve heard a lot of good stories,” he said.

Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug that is often used to treat lupus and rheumatoid disease. There are no approved treatments for COVID-19. There have been several studies that looked into the hydroxychloroquine’s effect on COVID-19 patients, and found it to be ineffective or harmful.

Source: AOL.com