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The hunt for drugs to rein in the coronavirus is, like so much else in this crisis, filled with uncertainty. President Donald Trump sees great promise in a compound called hydroxychloroquine. That’s based on a couple of early trials in China and France that showed remarkable results after just a handful of days.
Some medical experts echo Trump’s enthusiasm, but many more do not. They say that the drug’s benefit is still unproven. Meanwhile, the government has welcomed the donation of 30 million doses to the Strategic National Stockpile.
Hydroxychloroquine, and its chemical cousin chloroquine, are well-established drugs. Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, while chloroquine helps with malaria. Both carry a particular risk for people with heart problems, plus other possible side effects.
Trump has said the drug should be used. “What have you got to lose?” he asked. The answer could be more complicated than meets the eye.
PolitiFact explored the science, risks, and government policy around hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine during the coronavirus outbreak. (We will update this story as necessary.)
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**Some medical experts echo Trump’s enthusiasm, but many more do not. They say that the drug’s benefit is still unproven.**
In fact, President Trump himself has said hydroxychloroquine is unproven.
So how do the “many more” who supposedly do not echo Trump’s enthusiasm differ from Trump, specifically?
It seems the “many more do not” is a made-up factoid. Where’s the poll or survey to back up the claim?
Is that what we should expect in a column dedicated to fact-checking?
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When pressed by CNN’s Jeremy Diamond on why the President is not letting the science speak for itself, the President said that hydroxychloroquine “may not work and in which case, hey, it didn’t work, and it may work,” but he said he does not want to wait a “year and a half” to find out.
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