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Ohio Health Officials Ban Hydroxychloroquine For Treating Virus. GOP Governor Steps In To Stop Ban.

   DailyWire.com
Former Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and NBC political reporter Kelly O'Donnell, ride the escalator up to the Capitol from the Senate subway on Wednesday, March 2, 2011.
Bill Clark/Roll Call/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) announced that the Ohio Board of Pharmacy had issued a ruling that prohibited the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19.

But on Thursday morning, Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine publicly asked the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board to “halt the new rule issued Thursday that bans the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment of COVID-19,” as WHIO reported.

“I agree with the statement from Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision about prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 should be between a doctor and a patient,” DeWine tweeted, adding, “The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts. Therefore, I am asking the @OhioRxBoard to halt their new rule prohibiting the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.”

ODH spokeswoman Melanie Amato told the press on Thursday that hydroxychloroquine was not an effective treatment, according to OhioStateHouseNews.com. The Ohio Department of Health issued the following statement announcing the new Board of Pharmacy rule:

On July 30, 2020, Board of Pharmacy rule 4729:5-5-21 of the Administrative Code goes into effect. In general, the rule prohibits all terminal distributors (including pharmacist, prescriber clinics, out-of-state pharmacies, and institutional facilities) from selling or dispensing hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. Please be advised that this rule replaces emergency rule 4729-5-30.2 and that all approvals for the use of these medications made under that rule are no longer applicable.

The implementation of the rule is based on the following developments:

June 15, 2020: Based on ongoing analysis and emerging scientific data, FDA has revoked the emergency use authorization to use hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19 in certain hospitalized patients when a clinical trial is unavailable or participation is not feasible. The agency made this determination based on recent results from a large, randomized clinical trial in hospitalized patients that found these medicines showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery. This outcome was consistent with other new data, including those showing the suggested dosing for these medicines are unlikely to kill or inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19. As a result, FDA determined that the legal criteria for the EUA are no longer met.

July 1, 2020: A summary of the FDA review of safety issues with the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is now available. This includes reports of serious heart rhythm problems and other safety issues, including blood and lymph system disorders, kidney injuries, and liver problems and failure.

Earlier this week, DeWine announced that starting Aug. 9, child care providers could return to pre-pandemic ratios and class sizes. If they preferred to remain at lower ratios, they would be subsidized.

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