FDA Pulls Emergency Use Authorization for Antimalarial Drugs

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, once thought to be promising COVID-19 treatments, come with serious heart risks.

Written byAmanda Heidt

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The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday (June 15) that it is revoking emergency use authorization for both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine—two antimalarial drugs that were initially indicated as a treatment for COVID-19—amid a number of studies that have since shown potentially deadly side effects.

In a statement by Denise Hinton, the FDA’s chief scientist, she notes that the drugs’ unproven benefits are not offset by their “known and potential risks.”

Both medications saw a rush in demand beginning in late March after President Donald Trump touted their use. But one month later, the FDA released a safety warning detailing heart risks linked to the drugs. A series of subsequent studies cast doubt on the medications’ ability to either dampen symptoms or speed recovery, suggesting instead that they may actively cause harm. (Some of the most damning evidence against hydroxychloroquine was discredited upon high-profile retractions of the ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
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Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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