Hydroxychloroquine prescriptions surged 2,000% after Trump promoted drug

Prescriptions for the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine jumped almost 2,000% during the week in March when President Trump promoted it to treat COVID-19.

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that from March 15 to March 21, prescriptions for a 30-day supply of hydroxychloroquine surged 1,977%, from 2,208 to 45,858. It also found that prescriptions for a 30-day to 60-day supply jumped 179%, from 70,472 to 196,606, and a more than 60-day supply increased 182%, from 44,245 to 124,833.

Since that week, prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine have steadily declined. However, a total of 483,425 excess fills of the drug were issued during the 10-week period that began March 15 when compared to the same time period in 2019.

On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that hydroxychloroquine was not an effective treatment for the coronavirus. Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and one of the leading members of the Trump administration's coronavirus task force.

A recent study in the journal Lancet found that the risk of dying increased by one-third for COVID-19 patients taking hydroxychloroquine. Additionally, there was a 137% increased risk of life-threatening heart arrhythmia.