The Donald Trump-led adminsitration has faced severe backlash for the past few weeks for approving the hydroxychloroquine drug to treat the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
While there is no scientific proof to confirm whether the drug is indeed a miracle drug, it has been used in the past to treat viral infections. However, the plan to use much touted anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients has received a setback with more deaths being reported among those who were given the drug.
This has resulted in Twitter slamming US President Donald Trump for 'shamelessly plugging' the drug.
Here is what Twitter had to say
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has continued supporting his stance on the drug, saying that while it is been used for treating malaria and lupus, people in the US suffering from Lupus haven't contracted coronavirus if they are treated with this drug.
Trump, who has been aggressively promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, said that he would look into the reports.
His administration has stockpiled more than 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine, a large chunk of which has been imported from India.
"I don't know of the report. Obviously, there have been some very good reports and perhaps this one's not a good report. But we'll be looking at it. We'll have a comment on it at some point," Trump told reporters during his daily White House news conference on coronavirus.
Trump was responding to a question on a study released by a group of scientists on use of hydroxychloroquine with or without antibiotic azithromycin for 368 COVID-19 patients.
The unreviewed study submitted to New England Journal of Medicine for publication and posted online found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.
"An association of increased overall mortality was identified in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine alone," said the study that was funded by the National Institute of Health or NIH.
NIH in its report 'Therapeutic Options for COVID-19 Currently Under Investigation' said that there are insufficient clinical data to either recommend or oppose using chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19.
