Prognosis
Trump’s Virus Drug Whim Costs Millions, Even as the Mania Wanes
- Hydroxychloroquine prescriptions have fallen 50% after surge
- Rush to appease president led to shortages, diverted research
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President Donald Trump has stopped talking about the decades-old antimalarial drug he once touted as a “game changer” for Covid-19, but it won’t be as simple for the rest of the health system to just move on.
When Trump first began touting the drug in mid-March, a frenzy ensued as hospitals, patients and doctors raced to secure supplies. Many believed even if the drug didn’t turn out to be an effective coronavirus treatment, it might be able to ward off infection.