Coronavirus: FDA warns against Trump’s malaria drug citing heart complications

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can cause abnormal cardiac rhythms, agency warns

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned patients against the use of the malaria drug pushed by Donald Trump to treat coronavirus after reports of heart problems.

The drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which are often taken in combination to treat malaria, have been touted on many occasions by Mr Trump and labelled as a potential “game changer” in treating Covid-19.

However, the agency warned against the use of the drugs outside of a clinically monitored setting citing that they appear to cause abnormal heart rhythms.

“Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing Covid-19,” the agency wrote.

“[The drugs] can cause abnormal heart rhythms such as QT interval prolongation and a dangerously rapid heart rate called ventricular tachycardia.”

“These risks may increase when these medicines are combined with other medicines” including azithromycin," the FDA said.

The medication is often used for use in malaria patients and to aid lupus sufferers.

Mr Trump has previously advocated the use of the drugs as a potential treatment for the coronavirus in a number of his press conferences and on his social media.

“I want them to try it, and it may work and it may not work. But if it doesn’t work, there is nothing lost by doing it,” the president said earlier this month. “What do you have to lose?”

“Hydroxychloroquine. Try it. If you'd like,” the president said.“Take it.”

Belief in the drug as a possible treatment for the disease stemmed in part from a small initial study in France which has been treated with scepticism.

However, after the drug showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in US veterans hospitals, Mr Trump appeared to stop pushing it publicly.

The study hasn’t undergone the typical peer-review process, as with many that have been undertaken during the pandemic, but were based on one of the largest collections of data about the drug’s use.

Medical experts continue to insist there is no concrete scientific evidence of the drug’s effectiveness or safety when used against coronavirus.

“There could be deaths. This is a new virus, and so we should not be promoting any medication or drug for any disease that has not been proven and approved by the FDA,” American Medical Association president Dr Patrice Harris said in an interview with CNN earlier this month.

“We will continue to investigate risks associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for Covid-19 and communicate publicly when we have more information,” the FDA said in the statement.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 880,000 people in the US and caused the deaths of over 50,000 people according to data from the Johns Hopkins University.