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There is an obvious concerted push to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, again. Once again, a reminder: promotion of off-label use of drugs is illegal and highly actionable. Discussion of pharmacological pros/cons is perfectly fine - promotion is illegal. 1/
The issue here is that once you allow promotion of off-label uses, you really shouldn't even bother having an FDA anymore. Anyone could promote and market any drug for any treatment they like. The FDA established a process for approval that is required for promotion. 2/
Hydroxychloroquine has failed this process because the most trustworthy trials, the larger, controlled, randomized trials of its early and late use in COVID-19, do not show positive effects. The late use trends towards higher fatality! 3/
Now, instead of pushing for better, more appropriate trials, there is a concerted push to promote its use based on the less well controlled smaller trials that favor its outcomes. It should be actionable, and the people pushing it should clearly stop promoting it. Or be fined.4/4
