May 19, 2020 - Health

Pelosi says "morbidly obese" Trump shouldn't use hydroxychloroquine

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi watches President Trump deliver the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol in February. Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bluntly cited President Trump's age and speculated on his weight during an appearance on CNN Monday night as reasons why the president should not be taking hydroxychloroquine.

Driving the news: Trump said earlier Monday that he's been taking the antimalarial drug for "about a week and a half" as a preventative measure against the novel coronavirus.

The big picture: The FDA said in a warning last month that the drug should only be taken in hospitals because of the risk of heart complications. Its effectiveness against the virus is unproven.

The other side: Trump's physician Sean Conley said in a statement Monday evening it was decided hydroxychloroquine could be beneficial to Trump after a White House staffer tested positive for COVID-19.

  • "After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks," Conley said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Sean Conley's last name.

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