COLUMBUS, Ohio – Governor Mike DeWine said Thursday morning that he is requesting that the Ohio Board of Pharmacy suspend implementation of a new rule that generally prohibits hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus.
DeWine said in a statement that he agreed with Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision on the prescription must be between a doctor and a patient.
“Therefore, I am requesting the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to stop its new rule that prohibits the sale or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19,” said DeWine. “The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and Medical Board should re-examine the issue, hear the best medical science, and open the process for expert comment and testimony.”
After initial research, which is now being questioned, showed promise for the drug, normally prescribed for malaria and lupus, and the World Health Organization and UK researchers ended trials for the drug, after that the data showed that it gave no benefit to COVID-19 in June.
On July 1, the FDA warned against using the drug outside of a hospital setting or clinical trial, due to the risk of heart rhythm problems.
But President Donald Trump has used it and recently adopted the views of a marginal Houston pediatrician who says the drug may help with the coronavirus.
On Thursday, NBC’s “Today” show asked Hahn, who runs the FDA, if people should take hydroxychloroquine for COVID.
“The question they ask me is a decision between a doctor and a patient,” he said.
On July 19, the Ohio Department of Health said it was trying to dispose of 4 million hydroxychloroquine pills it had obtained for the pandemic.
The pharmacy board rule, which takes effect Thursday, does not allow hydroxychloroquine to be sold in Ohio as a treatment for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Under the rule, pharmacies cannot sell or dispense hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for COVID-19 treatment, unless approved by the board’s executive director. The rule also overrides all previous drug approvals.
The new rule does not apply to prescriptions issued as part of a board-approved clinical trial to evaluate drugs to treat COVID-19. Prescriptions must include documentation that the patient is enrolled in a clinical trial.
This story will be updated.
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