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States stockpile hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus as FDA issues warning

Photo: Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

At least 22 states and Washington, D.C., are building up stores of the anti-malarial drug President Trump previously touted as a possible solution for the novel coronavirus, AP reports.

Why it matters: The Food and Drug Administration advised doctors Friday against prescribing hydroxychloroquine or the related drug chloroquine to coronavirus patients as it appears to be causing some serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.

  • 'The warning comes as doctors at a New York hospital published a report that heart rhythm abnormalities developed in most of 84 coronavirus patients treated with hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, a combo Trump has promoted," AP notes.

What they're saying: "While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for COVID-19, there are known side effects of these medications that should be considered," FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said.

The state of play: Some health experts worry the public could misuse the drug if it is made more widely available.

  • Oklahoma spent $2 million acquiring the drugs.
  • Utah and Ohio spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, per AP.
  • New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas also received donations of the drug from Amneal Pharmaceutical, a private company in New Jersey.
  • Florida received 1 million doses from the Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical.

Go deeper: Trump touts drugs not yet approved by FDA for treating coronavirus

Go deeper

Axios
Updated Oct 7, 2020 - Health

World coronavirus updates

Expand chart
Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

New Zealand now has active no coronavirus cases in the community after the final six people linked to the Auckland cluster recovered, the country's Health Ministry confirmed in an email Wednesday.

The big picture: The country's second outbreak won't officially be declared closed until there have been "no new cases for two incubation periods," the ministry said. Auckland will join the rest of NZ in enjoying no domestic restrictions from late Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, declaring that NZ had "beat the virus again."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Marisa Fernandez
Aug 3, 2020 - Politics & Policy

White House will require staff to undergo randomized coronavirus testing

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Staff in the Executive Office of the President will be subject to mandatory coronavirus tests, in efforts to "protect the health and safety of the entire White House Complex," CNBC reports.

  • Why it matters: Multiple people in the White House have tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, including President Trump's national security adviser Robert O'Brien last week.

What they're saying: “As part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of the entire White House Complex, randomized testing of Executive Office of the President staff, which has been ongoing for several months, will become mandatory rather than voluntary," a White House official said Monday.

Fadel Allassan
Aug 3, 2020 - Health

Former FDA chief: MLB virus outbreaks should be warning sign for schools

Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC’s “Squawk Box" Monday that coronavirus outbreaks in the MLB, which declined to use the "bubble" strategy employed by the NBA, are "a warning of what could potentially happen if we aren't very careful with the schools."

Why it matters: Gottlieb's comments underscore questions about how schools, especially underfunded public schools, will be able to cope with reopening when a corporation with almost unlimited wealth is overwhelmed in a matter of days, as Axios' Shane Savitsky points out.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow