FDA clarifies that no drugs are approved to treat COVID-19 after Trump names 2 contenders

Trump at FEMA
(Image credit: Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images)

President Trump held up two drugs as possible treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, in a conference call with governors on Thursday. He said chloroquine, an older drug used to treat malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, was "very powerful" and has shown "very, very encouraging early results," adding that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug for use against the coronavirus.

The FDA said in a subsequent statement that "there are no FDA-approved therapeutics or drugs to treat, cure, or prevent COVID-19." Doctors can prescribe chloroquine "off-label," for unapproved uses, to treat COVID-19 patients.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.