The Hydroxychloroquine Fraud of Donald Trump

Here is a series of April 6, 2020 Twitter posts from Gregg Gonsalves detailing the fraudulent claims being made by Donald Trump about hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19

Dr. Gonsalves is an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases as well as an Associate (Adjunct) Professor of Law and Research Scholar in Law at Yale Law School, co-director of the Yale Law School/Yale School of Public Health Global Health Justice Partnership and the Yale Law School/Yale School of Public Health/Yale Medical School Collaboration for Research Integrity and Transparency.

His posts are shown below and are mostly verbatim with some editing to make reading easier. The author's opinion has not been altered.

Here is latest data on Hydroxychloroquine. Dr. Anthony Fauci is right, we have little data now to support its use. The idea that Peter Navarro thinks otherwise, and has the ear of Donald Trump should frighten you. It means science doesn't matter at the White House.

If you don't believe the Annals of Internal Medicine, European regulators too are dubious about Hydroxychloroquine & won't approve it. Why? Because again, the data simply isn't there. Difference? The European Medicines Agency (EMA) isn't subject to political pressure from out-of-control president who doesn't believe in science.

Read "Unlike FDA, European regulators refuse to clear chloroquine for COVID-19 without data," at Fierce Pharma on EMA decisions about using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.

And an article, "The suspect science behind Trump’s chloroquine claims," by Michael Hiltzik in the L.A. Times is required reading for anyone who wants to know how this drug is getting hyped, by whom, the shady dealings going on and the real harm to patients with lupus and other diseases who need this drug.

And for all the pundits, reporters who think the difference of opinion simply represents "fault lines" at the White House, another both-sides story, the shady science, policy-by-bullying has real impact on real lives, read "Lupus survivor: Crucial drug can't be snatched away."

All this speaks to a White House run by incompetents, ideologues, and magical thinkers. It means the fight against coronavirus, our fate, rests with these men who make shit up, tell lies, and couldn't organize their way out of a paper bag.

Also "Hydroxychloroquine: how an unproven drug became Trump’s coronavirus 'miracle cure'."


John L. Ferri

jlferri@epix.net