The federal government may be using veterans as test subjects for an ineffective and potentially dangerous coronavirus treatment, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned Sunday.
Schumer said a recent bulk order by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for $208,000 worth of the hydroxychloroquine raised red flags, as the antimalarial drug has been linked with increased fatality rates among veterans who contracted COVID-19.
The senate’s top Democrat sent a joint letter with veterans groups to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie demanding answers as to what the agency intends to do with its fresh supply.
“The question is, are our veterans in our VA hospitals being used as guinea pigs?” Schumer said. “Are our vets being used for clandestine COVID-19 drug testing?”
VA officials last month admitted using hydroxychloroquine to treat some patients, but Schumer said his office hasn’t gotten a response to questions about how many people have received the drug, and why they were given it.
A spokeswoman for the VA said hydroxychloroquine has been used “for years to treat a number of non-COVID related conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and the bulk of the order referenced will be used for those purposes.”
“VA only permits use of the drug after ensuring Veterans and caretakers are aware of potential risks associated with it, as we do with any other drug or treatment,” spokeswoman Christina Noel added.
A study published by the VA in late April found hydroxycloroquine — which President Trump in recent months has touted as a potential silver bullet for treating the virus — could prove fatal for some COVID-19 patients.
The study surveyed 368 veterans with COVID-19, and found 27% of those given the drug died. That’s more than double the 11% death rate among patients who did not take hydroxychloroquine.
Schumer’s letter comes days after a whistleblower complaint from former Health and Human Services official Rick Bright accused White House officials of hoarding medical supplies as the pandemic grew — and laid out Trump’s plans to rapidly distribute the drug to hospitals across New York and New Jersey.
On April 30, the Food and Drug Administration advised against use of the drug outside of clinical or hospital settings, as it’s proven to be associated with “heart rhythm problems.”
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