White House Adviser Argued With Dr. Fauci Over Anti-Malaria Drug

White House Trade and Manufacturing Policy Director Peter Navarro speaks during the daily briefing on COVID-19 at the White House on March 22, 2020. (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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White House trade adviser Peter Navarro reportedly had a heated dispute with Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House Anti-Coronavirus Task Force, over the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, against COVID-19 on Saturday.

An unnamed source told Axios that Navarro had claimed the drug showed a “clear therapeutic efficacy” during a meeting in the Situation Room, prompting Fauci to point out that adviser did not have hard data on the matter.

“What are you talking about?” Fauci asked, according to CNN.

The doctor reportedly said any evidence that hydroxychloroquine would be effective was purely anecdotal, a rebuttal that infuriated Navarro.

“That’s science, not anecdote,” the adviser, who had begun raising his voice, said in response.

“There has never been a confrontation in the task force meetings like the one yesterday,” the source told Axios

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Notable Replies

  1. They’re desperate to be seen as ‘doing something’. It’s all about ratings.

    “You can’t hurry a funnel,” Gramps used to say.

  2. Per Axios

    Toward the end of the meeting, Hahn began a discussion of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which Trump believes could be a “game-changer” against the coronavirus.

    Let’s NOT forget that hydroxychloroquine is made by Novartis, the company that paid Michael Cohen Essential LLC $1.2M for access to Trump.

    So is Navarro going to get a cut from Novartis or from Trump’s “profit”…you know…trickledown corruption/profiteering amidst a pandemic - it’s SOP in Trump Regime, never mind the preventable American deaths!

    Addendum:

    Gallows humor - Sad but true…

    Addendum2:

    Norvartis is the parent company of Sandoz who are manufacturers of hydrochloroquine.

    Manufacturers of hydroxychloroquine include generic manufacturers Actavis, which is owned by Teva, and Sandoz. Novartis, the parent company of Sandoz,

    Addendum3:

    For clarification…I did NOT say Sanofi is NOT the manufacturer of hydrochloroquine.

    There are other drug manufacturers that make hydrochloroquine also…Sandoz/Norvatis is one of them! See list below.

    Addendum4:

  3. Navarro is an ass, Fauci is a scientist. While desperate times may call for unproven treatments it’s breathtaking that a failed trade advisor is getting trumps ear on this matter.

  4. So…Peter Navarro, THE poster child for The Peter Principle, who can’t work a trade deal to save his life is now a DOCTOR? A SCIENTIST? He is nothing more than a ‘humper’ and if Donnie says JUMP, Navarro rushes in to say HOW HIGH??? This is a helluva way to run a government…let alone a pandemic.

  5. When I’m ill, I always seek out the opinion of a hack “economist” to prescribe a cure.

    What’s wrong with you critics?

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