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Your CliffsNotes Look at The COVID-19 Treatments President Trump Has Promoted
Medical staff in France show tablets containing chloroquine and Plaqueril, tablets containing hydroxychloroquine. (Gerard Julien/AFP via Getty Images
Here's a very quick look what we know and don't know about the drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, also known by the brand name Plaquenil.
These are the possible treatments for COVID-19 that President Donald Trump has been promoting.
WHAT WE KNOW
- The drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but not for the treatment of the coronavirus.
- A number of hospitals are using the drug to treat patients with the coronavirus.
- Patients who rely on hydroxychloroquine for other conditions can't get it.
- Some doctors and their families are hoarding the drug.
- There are efforts to increase the supply of the drug, but other moves could tighten it.
- Conservative groups and television hosts are talking up the benefits of the drug.
- Clinical trials are underway.
- Some people are self-medicating with harmful results.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
- Whether the drugs are effective at treating the coronavirus.
GET THE DETAILS:
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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