Hydroxychloriquine critics are guilty of ‘medical McCarthyism’, controversial doctor says

Trump’s own FDA in July revoked its emergency authorisation to use the popular malaria drug to treat Covid-19

Critics of treatment drugs cleared for other diseases being used to help patients with Covid-19 –  such as hydroxychloriquine, pushed by Donald Trump and some doctors – are guilty of “medical McCarthyism”, a Washington hospital CEO told senators.

“Earlier this year, we faced a new, dangerously infectious virus, and such a health crisis – like any other crisis with an unknown and unproven enemy – cannot rely exclusively on the tried and true,” Ramin Oskoui, vice president of the medica staff at Washington’s Sibley Memorial Hospital, told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. “But it was worse than that. Affirmative steps to keep physicians and patients ignorant were taken.”

“Medical McCarthyism became the norm,” he added, comparing criticism of medical experts and politicians who pushed malaria drugs like hydroxychloriquine to treat Covid-19 to the push by then-Senator Joseph McCarthy of accusing alleged communist sympathisers of treason.

The use of anti-malarials and other drugs to treat Covid-19 has been roundly rejected by the US and Western medical community.

Despite the president repeatedly pushing hydroxychloriquine, describing it as something of a Covid wonder drug, his own Food and Drug Administration in July said it was not suited to treat the respiratory disease.

“Based on ongoing analysis and emerging scientific data, FDA has revoked the emergency use authorisation (EUA) to use hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat Covid-19 in certain hospitalised patients when a clinical trial is unavailable or participation is not feasible,” the FDA said in a statement.

“We made this determination based on recent results from a large, randomised clinical trial in hospitalised patients that found these medicines showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery,” the agency added. 

GOP Subcommittee chairman Ron Johnson and Democratic ranking member Gary Peters clashed at the start of the hearing, with the latter saying the witnesses were chosen purely for their political, rather than medical, views.

He was critical of the witnesses for opposing mitigation steps like mask-wearing and social distancing, getting in on the historical insult-slinging by alleging the panelists had compared officials who called for masks and other steps “to the Nazi regime”.

But Mr Johnson called Mr Peters’ comments detached from reality, and said “early treatment” of Covid-19 was key to getting the quickly spreading pandemic under control.

“What have we got to lose?” he asked. “ If that can be proven to be effective, wouldn’t that be the dream solution?”

“Why didn’t we look at these drugs that were already there, and cheap? Why not mass produce them?” added Johnson, whom Democrats have criticised for spreading disinformation about the disease. “Again, it makes no sense.”

Mr Oskoui, a cardiologist by training, recently – and falsely – told Fox News it is “settled science” that “social distancing doesn’t work, quarantining doesn’t work, masks don’t work”. 

Federal, state and local guidelines call for all three mitigation steps, and a slew of medical experts say doing each one simultaneously is the best way to help stop the virus’ spread.