FDA Withdraws Emergency Use Authorization For Hydroxychloroquine And Chloroquine As Treatments For Patients With COVID-19
- June 16, 2020
The Washington Post (6/15, McGinley, Johnson) reports the FDA “withdrew its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine” and chloroquine as treatments for patients with COVID-19. The agency concluded it “is no longer reasonable to believe” that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are effective treatments for patients with COVID-19. The agency added, “Nor is it reasonable to believe that the known and potential benefits of these products outweigh their known and potential risks.”
The New York Times (6/15, Thomas) reports the drugs were touted by some as potential treatments “after a handful of small, poorly controlled studies suggested that they could work in treating” patients with the disease. However, the FDA “said that further studies had shown that the two drugs were unlikely to be effective in stopping the virus, and that national treatment guidelines didn’t recommend using them outside of clinical trials.”
Other sources covering the story include: The AP (6/15, Perrone), Bloomberg Law (6/15, Edney, Subscription Publication), CNN (6/15, Howard, Azad), HealthDay (6/15), The Hill (6/15, Weixel), Medscape (6/15, McNamara, Subscription Publication), NBC News (6/15, Edwards), Newsweek (6/15, Roos), NPR (6/15, Palca), Politico (6/15, Owermohle), STAT (6/15, Facher), USA Today (6/15, Rodriguez), and the Wall Street Journal (6/15, Burton, Subscription Publication).