ESHOO CALLS ON FDA TO PROTECT PATIENTS REQUIRING HYDROCLOROQUINE

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18) and Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12), led more than 50 colleagues in writing to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn regarding the recent Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to allow physicians to prescribe hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) and chloroquine phosphate (CQ) as untested, potential therapeutics to COVID-19 patients.

“In the midst of the COVID-19 emergency, it’s imperative that our regulatory agencies balance urgency with their responsibility to protect public health,” Rep. Eshoo said. “This includes ensuring that patients who rely on hydrocloroquine to treat their Lupus, malaria or rheumatoid arthritis can access their treatment without disruption. The FDA must demonstrate it is maintaining its strong standard of review, including the requirement that all medical products be safe and effective.”

“As COVID-19 takes its toll on our communities, this Administration’s irresponsible endorsement of Hydroxychloroquine has not only harmed coronavirus victims, but also the patients who are facing a nationwide shortage and need the medication for survival,” said Rep. Adams. “I am especially concerned for Lupus patients, for whom this is the first-line treatment, as well as patients afflicted by malaria, porphyria cutanea tarda, and rheumatoid arthritis. Now more than ever, we must rely on our medical professionals and science-based evidence and not on misinformation or the whims of charlatans. In this urgent fight to save lives, our guiding principle must be to ‘do no harm,’ because missteps can be fatal.”

On March 28, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for HCQ and CQ as unapproved, potential therapeutics for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) patients. For more than 50 years, HCQ and CQ have been used for treatment of malaria, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other anti-inflammatory conditions. Congresswoman Eshoo has heard directly from her constituents that the EUA and Administration’s efforts to acquire the medication for the Strategic National Stockpile have created nationwide shortages for patients that currently rely on prescribed HCQ to maintain a decent quality of life.

Congresswoman Eshoo is Chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

The text of the letter can be found HERE.

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