Israel’s leading drug producer announced Thursday it will donate 6 million doses of anti-malaria drugs to the United States in hopes that it could be helpful treating coronavirus symptoms.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries says the drug could potentially treat people with the coronavirus and will ship the hydroxychloroquine tablets through wholesalers nationwide by the end of the month and will provide 10 million doses in total, according to Breitbart News.
“We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost,” Teva Executive Vice President Brendan O’Grady said about the move.
President Trump has expressed support and optimism for potential treatments, including malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
“We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately,” Trump told the nation on Thursday during a White House coronavirus task force briefing.
Stephan Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, clarified that testing is underway but noted he did not “want to speculate about a timeline.”
Pres. Trump touts chloroquine, an old malaria drug, that doctors say may help treat novel coronavirus, claims it will be available “almost immediately.”
Read more about chloroquine: https://t.co/cYt0fxdlfB pic.twitter.com/9oPsMSD3HV
— ABC News (@ABC) March 19, 2020
The president reaffirmed his optimism during Friday’s briefing, telling reporters he believes people “might be surprised” by how well it works out.
Pres. Trump pressed on chloroquine, a malaria drug he claimed yesterday might be available soon, but which the FDA says needs further study.
“It may work and it may not work,” he said in an exchange that ended with Trump calling a reporter “terrible.” https://t.co/lrydsTpOIr pic.twitter.com/6ceLP5VhdK
— ABC News (@ABC) March 20, 2020
Researchers recently released findings showing signs that hydroxychloroquine may cure infections of the coronavirus, though much more testing is needed.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci clarified on Friday that evidence for the anti-malarial drug working to treat the COVID-19 virus was “anecdotal.”
[Read more: Fauci and Trump struggle to stay on same page about possible coronavirus treatment]
