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Posted: 2020-08-02T16:07:34Z | Updated: 2020-08-03T18:39:00Z

Assistant health secretary Adm. Brett Giroir on Sunday rejected claims that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19 , pointing out that theres no evidence so far to show that it is.

Giroir, who led the countrys coronavirus testing efforts until June, was asked in an interview on NBCs Meet the Press if President Donald Trump s continued push for hydroxychloroquine presents a danger to public health.

Hydroxychloroquine initially looked very promising as a potential COVID-19 treatment, but there are no definitive studies of its efficacy, Giroir said.

At this point in time, theres been five randomized-control placebo-controlled trials that do not show any benefit to hydroxychloroquine, he said. We dont recommend that as a treatment. Theres no evidence to show that it is.

Pressed on whether Trumps messaging might cause confusion, Giroir said he believes doctors wont be influenced by whatevers on Twitter when deciding how to treat coronavirus patients.

There may be circumstances I dont know what they are where a physician may prescribe it for an individual, Giroir said. But I think most physicians and prescribers are evidence-based, and theyre not influenced by whatevers on Twitter. ... And the evidence just doesnt show that hydroxychloroquine is effective right now.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump's coronavirus testing czar @HHS_ASH says America needs to \"move on\" from discussing hydroxychloroquine. #MTP

\"The evidence just doesn't show hydroxychloroquine is effective, for now.\" pic.twitter.com/JrQGTGDnfg

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EXCLUSIVE: Trump's coronavirus testing czar @HHS_ASH says America needs to "move on" from discussing hydroxychloroquine. #MTP

"The evidence just doesn't show hydroxychloroquine is effective, for now." pic.twitter.com/JrQGTGDnfg

Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 2, 2020

Trump has repeatedly undermined his administrations public health officials by peddling hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for COVID-19. He said in May that he had been taking the unproven drug to prevent contracting the virus.

Last week, he retweeted a video of a small group of fringe doctors who call themselves Americas Frontline Doctors decrying coronavirus restrictions and claiming that hydroxychloroquine cures COVID-19. The video was removed by Twitter for violating its rules on spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, announced earlier this week that he had tested positive for the virus and would be taking hydroxychloroquine to treat it.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the countrys top infectious disease expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Wednesday that clinical trials have consistently shown that the drug is not effective in treating COVID-19. Whats more, the FDA has warned that the drug can lead to fatal heart arrhythmia in some patients.

Giroir called on the U.S. to move on from hydroxychloroquine and focus on what has been proven to be effective in slowing the spread of the virus: wearing face coverings, washing your hands and avoiding crowds.

We know that if you get COVID now, your chances of dying are incredibly less than they were in April because our health care providers know how to treat it better, he said. We have effective therapies like remdesivir and steroids, promising therapies like immune plasma, and a vaccine really on the horizon.

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