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U.S. NEWS Thursday 25 augusT 2022

Panel: Trump staffers pushed unproven COVID treatment at FDA

By MATTHEW PERRONE and gency use. source of pressure."
KEVIN FREKING Efforts by the Trump ad- The subcommittee chair-
Associated Press ministration to control the man, Democrat Rep. Jim
WASHINGTON (AP) — Of- release of COVID-19 guid- Clyburn of South Carolina,
ficials in the Trump White ance and install political said efforts to bend the
House tried to pressure operatives at public health FDA's scientific work on
U.S. health experts into re- agencies have been well treatments and vaccines
authorizing a discredited documented. exemplified how the "prior
COVID-19 treatment, ac- The report by the House administration prioritized
cording to a congressional subcommittee investigat- politics over public health."
investigation that provides ing the government's COV- But Louisiana Rep. Steve
new evidence of that ad- ID-19 response focused on Scalise, the panel's top Re-
ministration's efforts to over- pressure at the FDA, which publican, said the report
ride Food and Drug Admin- serves as gatekeeper for was "further proof" that
istration decisions early in the drugs, vaccines and House Speaker Nancy Pe-
the pandemic. other countermeasures losi, D-Calif., "only set up this President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Stephen Hahn,
The report Wednesday by against the virus. sham panel to carry out a commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, speaks
the Democratic-led House Much of the information political vendetta" against during a media briefing in the James Brady Briefing Room of the
Select Subcommittee on comes from an interview Trump. White House, Aug. 23, 2020, in Washington. Associated Press
the Coronavirus Crisis also with the agency's former Much of the report focuses
sheds new light on the role commissioner, Dr. Stephen on actions taken by Navar- ing that the drug "appears Mike Lee of Utah and Ted
that television personalities Hahn, who was picked for ro and Dr. Steven Hatfill, a safe and results are better Cruz of Texas wrote the
played in bringing hydroxy- the job by Trump in late virologist and outside ad- than expected." FDA seeking an explana-
chloroquine to the atten- 2019. Frustrated by the viser described by the sub- Birx forwarded the email to tion for the denial to rein-
tion of top White House pace of FDA's medical re- committee as a "full-time Hahn within the hour, say- state hydroxychloroquine's
officials. Investigators high- views, Trump repeatedly volunteer" on COVID-19 for ing "we should talk." authorization. Johnson also
lighted an email from Fox accused Hahn -- without the White House. A cancer specialist with no chaired a Senate commit-
News' Laura Ingraham and evidence -- of delaying de- "Dr. Hatfill and Mr. Navarro prior political experience, tee hearing in November
others from Dr. Mehmet cisions on COVID-19 drugs devised multiple pressure Hahn was widely criticized 2020 on treatment options
Oz, the celebrity heart sur- and vaccines "for political schemes targeting FDA during the early COVID-19 and complained that doc-
geon who had a daytime reasons." and federal officials who response for decisions that tors who prescribed hy-
TV show and is now the Re- Although FDA commission- they contended were appeared to cave to White droxychloroquine for CO-
publican Senate nominee ers are politically appoint- wrongly impeding wide- House officials. VID had been "scorned."
in Pennsylvania. Ingraham ed, the agency's scientists spread access to hydroxy- According to emails ob- In the fall of 2020, the fo-
attended an Oval Office are expected to conduct chloroquine," according to tained by the committee, cus of both FDA and White
meeting with President their reviews free from out- the report. Hatfill described "constant House officials turned to the
Donald Trump, who himself side influence. Indeed, In his response, Hatfill said: fighting with (Dr. Anthony) upcoming authorization of
took the anti-malaria drug. the FDA's credibility largely "We never wrongly pres- Fauci and Dr. Hahn" over the first COVID-19 vaccines
The FDA originally autho- stems from its reputation for sured anyone. We simply access to hydroxychloro- from Pfizer and Moderna.
rized use of hydroxychloro- scientific independence. followed the science and quine during the summer. As previously reported, the
quine in late March 2020 But Hahn told investigators the overwhelming evi- Fauci is the nation's top in- White House objected to
based on small studies sug- that he felt pressure due to dence as detailed in sev- fectious disease expert. an FDA requirement that
gesting it could have some the "persistence" of Trump eral studies available at the During this period Hatfill vaccine makers gather
effectiveness against the aide Peter Navarro's calls time."Importantly, there's no also urged Sen. Ron John- two months of safety data
coronavirus. At that time, to reauthorize hydroxychlo- evidence that White House son, R-Wis., to request a before filing their appli-
many researchers hoped roquine after the FDA's de- efforts ultimately changed federal investigation into cations, contending that
that existing antiviral drugs cision to pull its emergency the FDA's decisions on hy- the handling of hydroxy- condition would delay the
could be used to fight the use. droxychloroquine or any chloroquine, according to launch of the shots. Trump
virus. But by June, FDA of- "We took a different stance other therapies. a letter submitted for the had repeatedly stated the
ficials had concluded the at the FDA," Hahn told in- Investigators also cited a Congressional Record. shots would be authorized
drug was likely ineffective vestigators. "So that dis- March 28, 2020, email from There's no indication such before Election Day, de-
and could cause potential- agreement, which of Oz to Dr. Deborah Birx, a request was made. But in spite government scientists
ly dangerous heart compli- course ultimately became White House coronavirus mid-August, Johnson and signaling that timeline was
cations, revoking its emer- somewhat public, was a response coordinator, stat- fellow Republican Sens. unlikely.q