SOURCE: CNBC News
President Donald Trump said Monday that he has been taking anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for a couple of weeks to prevent coronavirus infection even though the media is reporting that it is not yet a proven treatment.
“I happen to be taking it,” Trump said during a roundtable event at the White House. “A lot of good things have come out. You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers. Before you catch it. The front-line workers, many, many are taking it.”
He added: “I’m taking it, hydroxychloroquine. Right now, yeah. Couple of weeks ago, I started taking it. Cause I think it’s good, I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”
Trump also said that he is taking zinc, and that he has taken an initial dose of azithromycin, or Z-Pak.
White House physician Dr. Sean Conley released a memo Monday evening, saying “As has been previously reported, two weeks ago one of the President’s support staff tested positive for COVID-19. The President is in very good health and has remained symptom-free. He receives regular COVID-19 testing, all negative to date,” Conley stated.
“After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks,” he added.
Dr Sean Conley
Hydroxychloroquine, which has been repeatedly suggested by Trump as a potential game-changer in fighting the coronavirus, is also often used by doctors to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Numerous clinical trials are looking to see if it’s effective in fighting the coronavirus, but the media has been discrediting any positive study results, including those with solid peer review, touting repeatedly that “it is not a proven treatment yet”.
“No I have not had any symptoms, negative, no symptoms, no nothing. I take it because I hear very good things.” said Trump
Trump said Monday he asked his White House physician about the drug. “I asked him, ‘What do you think?’ He said, ‘Well, if you’d like it.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like it. I’d like to take it.’”
Doctors can give the drug to patients in a common and legal practice known as “off-label” prescribing. “Off label” means the drug is being used for an ailment not yet approved by the FDA.
Trump said Monday that if the drug wasn’t good he’d “tell you.” He said he’s gotten “a lot of tremendously positive news on the hydroxy, and I say hey — you know the expression I’ve used, John? What do you have to lose?”
“I’m not gonna get hurt by it. It’s been around for 40 years,” he said. “For malaria, for lupus, for other things. I take it. Front-line workers take it. A lot of doctors take it — excuse me, a lot of doctors take it. I take it.”
He said he doesn’t own stock in the company that produces the drug, adding he wants “the people of this nation to feel good.”
“I don’t want them feeling sick. And there’s a very good chance that this has an impact, especially early on,” he said. “I take a pill every day. At some point I’ll stop. What I’d like to is I’d like to have the cure and or the vaccine and that’ll happen I think very soon.”
“It seems to have an impact, and maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t,” he continued. “But if it doesn’t, you’re not going to get sick or die. This is a pill that’s been used for a long time, for 30, 40 years.”
Drug Battles – Politics, Profit & CoronaVirus
Coronavirus: Turkey says hydroxychloroquine dramatically reduces pneumonia cases
U.S. doctors speak out about how they are using Hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19
See the original article here: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/trump-says-he-takes-hydroxychloroquine-to-prevent-coronavirus-infection.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/trump-says-he-takes-hydroxychloroquine-to-prevent-coronavirus-infection.html