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US President Donald Trump: ‘I may take it, OK? I may take it’. Photo: AFP

Coronavirus: Trump may take unproven drug that could be ‘so beautiful’

  • Trump says he make take the drug, despite no evidence it was safe or effective for Covid-19 treatment
  • Critics have assailed Trump for repeatedly hailing an unproven treatment

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday he “may” take the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, despite no evidence the drug is effective and safe for preventing or treating the coronavirus.

He also suggested that his doctors have not yet prescribed him the drug, but said he would ask them about it.

“If it were me - in fact, I might do it anyway. I may take it, OK? I may take it,” he said at a press briefing. “And I’ll have to ask my doctors about that, but I may take it.”

The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, who is often featured at Trump’s daily press briefings, has warned Americans that there is no evidence that the drug is effective in preventing or treating coronavirus.

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He has described a small study involving the drug’s use as a coronavirus treatment as “anecdotal evidence”, and said controlled clinical trials were necessary to determine whether it is effective and safe for use in Covid-19 patients.

“We’re trying to strike a balance between making something with a potential of an effect to the American people available, at the same time that we do it under the auspices of a protocol that would give us information to determine if it’s truly safe and truly effective,” Fauci said at a March 21 briefing.

The European Commission said this week that the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine treating Covid-19 had not been proven.

The Food and Drug Administration has also not approved hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus treatment or prevention.

But Fauci’s repeated warnings have not stopped Trump from touting the drug regularly, and referring to it as “one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine”.

Nigeria reports poisonings after Trump touts antimalarial drug as treatment

In Saturday’s briefing, Trump even said the term “game changer” wasn’t strong enough.

“If this drug works, it will be not a game changer because that’s not a nice term - it’ll be wonderful, it’ll be so beautiful. It’ll be a gift from heaven if it works,” he said.

Critics have assailed Trump for hailing an unproven treatment that can have dangerous side effects.

Trump has said he tested negative for coronavirus twice, and in his comments on Saturday appeared to suggest he was considering using hydroxychloroquine for preventive use.

Demand for the drug has skyrocketed in recent weeks amid the hype, causing shortages and affecting patients who use it to treat illnesses such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Trump said the federal government had 29 million doses of the drug and was adding to its national stockpile. He said he had asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to lift a hold on a US order of the drug as well.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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