For sale in Oklahoma: a large stockpile of hydroxychloroquine

Last spring, the Oklahoma Department of Health purchased a stockpile of hydroxychloroquine for $2 million after former President Trump promoted the use of the antimalarial drug as a treatment for COVID-19, despite a lack of evidence. The health department is now trying to sell the drugs. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter was tapped to assist the department, according to Alex Gerszewski, a spokesman for Hunter. Gerszewski says the state wants to either sell the hydroxychloroquine doses back to the company it purchased them from, CA-based distributor FFF Enterprises, or to another buyer. Oklahoma has been attempting to sell its stockpile for months, according to a July report by a local news station. In the early days of the pandemic, FDA granted hydroxychloroquine emergency authorization for use in very sick COVID-19 patients. However, follow-up studies indicated that the antimalarial drug did not facilitate recovery, nor did it prevent healthy people from contracting COVID-19 or progressing to a more serious state. FDA cancelled its emergency approval for hydroxychloroquine in June.