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Oklahoma Will Return Hydroxychloroquine Stockpile For $2M Refund

Hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to prevent malaria and treat certain autoimmune conditions, is being studied to treat or prevent COVID-19.
George Frey
/
AFP via Getty Images
Hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to prevent malaria and treat certain autoimmune conditions, is being studied to treat or prevent COVID-19.

Oklahoma officials announced on Friday they are returning the state’s stockpile of hydroxychloroquine.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. The medication became a household name once then-President Donald Trump hailed it as a potential game changer.

Despite controversy at the time, Oklahoma health officials bought more than $2 million dollars worth of doses and built a stockpile. The FDA soon revoked the approval, as regulators found the drug to be not only ineffective but, in some cases, dangerous.

Attorney General Mike Hunter announced Friday that his office had reached an agreement with the drug’s manufacturer FFF Enterprises for a full refund.

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Catherine Sweeney was StateImpact Oklahoma's health reporter from 2020 to 2023.
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