Nursing homes in two states gave hydroxychloroquine to residents with Covid without approval

Democratic senators call for greater regulation on nursing homes treating residents with Covid-19

Nursing homes in Texas and Pennsylvania used hydroxychloroquine in patient treatments for individuals suffering from the coronavirus without gaining approvals to administer the drug.

The revelation comes from state inspector reports that senate Democrats drew attention to on Thursday. The drugs have been used on more than 200 patients between the facilities.

Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bob Casey and Ron Wyden said they found the reports “concerning”. The senators sent letters on Thursday to federal agencies requesting they begin regulating nursing homes across the US, according to ABC News.

Donald Trump has long touted hydroxychloroquine as a useful treatment for coronavirus, despite many clinical studies suggesting it was not effective and could potentially cause heart issues for patients.

“The use of hydroxychloroquine is all the more concerning due to warnings from medical experts about the increased risks seniors face from the drugs,” the senators wrote in a letter.

The senators requested further information on what measures have been taken to ensure nursing home residents are not being subjected to experimental or unsafe treatments.

The US Food and Drug Administration initially approved emergency authorisation for the drug’s use as a treatment for coronavirus as the insistence of the Trump administration.

However, the agency reversed its decision in April following push back from medical experts questioning its efficacy and safety. The FDA changed its position, warning against using the drug in non-hospital settings, which would include nursing homes.

Then, in June, the FDA revoked the emergency authorisation for using the drug, claiming the recommended dosage would not be useful in treating the virus.

The nursing home in Texas was found to have administered the drug without the informed consent of the patients or their families.

In Pennsylvania, the patients had consented to the drug, but the state had not authorised its use.

Patty Ducayet, the long-term care ombudsman for Texas Health and Human Services, told ABC News that treatment decisions may have been hastily made due to the panic caused by the virus.

“In a crisis, it’s particularly concerning that a person wouldn’t be given information about what drugs they’re being given,” she said. “It almost feels like we collectively were in such a panic that rushing to treatments, it just becomes all the more important that people have good information before making a decision.”

Nursing homes have been especially hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as the sick and elderly are especially vulnerable to the virus. According to a recent survey of state-reported data, at least 40 per cent of all deaths from Covid-19 have been nursing home residents.

The Centres for Medicare and Medicaid, the federal agencies tasked with overseeing nursing homes, told ABC News that they were reviewing the senator’s letter and will respond directly to the senators with its findings.