The Food and Drug Administration has rescinded authorizations for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, promoted by President Trump as coronavirus treatments, as evidence begins to show the drugs may be harmful.
"We now believe that the suggested dosing regimens for [ hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine] as detailed in the Fact Sheets are unlikely to produce an antiviral effect," FDA Chief Scientist Denise Hinton said Monday.
The FDA was responding to a request to revoke emergency use authorization for the drugs from Gary Disbrow, acting director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the government agency tasked with finding COVID-19 treatments.
The FDA decided that, amid mounting evidence that hydroxychloroquine is not an effective antiviral treatment, the drugs, generally used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can only be administered in clinical trials. However, because the drugs are approved to treat other conditions, doctors are still able to prescribe the drugs "off label" to treat COVID-19.