The Presidential physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, released a statement detailing that he and POTUS decided that the benefits of using hydroxychloroquine as a treatment against COVID-19 outweighs the "relative risks".
"After numerous discussion 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", the statement reads.
Conley in his statement noted that he would continue to monitor "the myriad studies" that investigate potential COVID-19 treatments.
Earlier in April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that using hydroxychloroquine outside of hospitals could lead to heart problems.
The potential benefits of using hydroxychloroquine outweigh the risks, says statement from @WhiteHouse physician. pic.twitter.com/OTYQF71Kq5
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) May 19, 2020
The statement followed Trump admitting during his roundtable that he takes doses of hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, noting that he had heard "good stories" about the drug. Trump also stressed that he has consistently tested negative for COVID-19 and has no symptoms caused by the medication.
Hydroxychloroquine is primarily an anti-malarial drug, and was praised by the US president and several epidemiologists as a possible effective way to combat COVID-19, when taken in combination with zinc and azythromycin, a medical assertion that has not been proven through clinical trials.
