VA spent $200,000 on controversial anti-malaria drug touted as coronavirus 'game-changer'

WASHINGTON – Department of Veterans Affairs officials said March 26 that it was “irresponsible” to suggest the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine had any merit as a coronavirus treatment. The same day, the VA placed an emergency order for it.

President Donald Trump held up hydroxychloroquine as a “game-changer” – a miracle cure for the virus that has killed thousands of Americans, infected more than 400,000 and changed everyday life. Experts aren’t so sure about the drug, which is used for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus but is an unproven treatment for the coronavirus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor in the United States, said on Fox News last week it would be a “majestic leap” to consider it a knockout drug for the virus. Some studies have suggested the drug was promising, especially for mild cases, but the studies were small and didn’t include control groups. One of the studies has since been discredited.

“We still need to do the kinds of studies that definitively prove whether any intervention, not just this one ... is truly safe and effective,” Fauci said.

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