Oregon Department of Corrections Will No Longer Consider Using Hydroxychloroquine to Treat Inmates With COVID-19

The FDA says the antimalarial drug is not effective at treating the virus.

An inmate at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. (Leah Nash)

The Oregon Department of Corrections will no longer consider using the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative medication or treatment for COVID-19 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency use authorization on June 15.

As WW previously reported in May, ODOC's top infectious disease doctor had requested the controversial drug as a treatment of inmates with COVID-19 despite concerns that it is not safe or effective at treating the virus.

ODOC spokeswoman Jennifer Black confirms that the department will no longer consider the drug's use as a treatment for COVID-19 following the FDA's announcement.

The FDA revoked the drug's emergency use authorization after determining the potential benefits didn't outweigh the drug's side effects.

"FDA has concluded that, based on this new information and other information discussed in the attached memorandum, it is no longer reasonable to believe that oral formulations of [hydroxychloroquine] may be effective in treating COVID-19," the agency wrote in a June 15 letter, "nor is it reasonable to believe that the known and potential benefits of these products outweigh their known and potential risks."

It's unclear if ODOC ever treated COVID-19-positive inmates with hydroxychloroquine. Black previously said she could not disclose such information, citing medical privacy laws.

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