FDA withdraws coronavirus emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine

At the request of Gary Disbrow, the acting director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the Food and Drug Administration on Monday withdrew emergency use authorizations for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine related to coronavirus treatment.

The authorizations were controversial, as many skeptics believed they were made because President Trump had touted the malaria drugs as effective treatments against COVID-19, despite researchers concerns about potential heart-related side effects. Ultimately, after reviewing new information from large clinical trials, the FDA said it does not believe the drugs are likely "to produce an antiviral effect" against the novel virus.

Hydroxychloroquine is approved for several uses like treating arthritis and lupus, so doctors could still use it "off label" to treat coronavirus patients, and clinical trials examining its effect against COVID-19 can continue, Politico reports. The version of chloroquine temporarily authorized by the FDA, however, is not approved in the U.S., so all use of it will end. Read more at Politico.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up