Hydroxychloroquine: US medical chief claims he was removed for questioning Trump's miracle drug, report says

'Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't,' president says when pressed on allegations doctor was forced out

A doctor who oversaw a federal agency charged with developing a coronavirus vaccine says he was removed from his job for raising concerns about using a popular malaria drug endorsed by Donald Trump to treat Covid-19.

"I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit," Rick Bright told the New York Times. He has been ousted as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and installed in a different position at the National Institutes of Health.

During his daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Trump claimed to have never heard Mr Bright's name. But he did not deny he was pushed out of his job, saying, "Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't."

Mr Trump for weeks has pushed hydroxychloroquine as a treatment drug for coronavirus, even announcing the federal government had purchased large amounts for distribution to states. The Times reported previously that the Trump family has a financial stake in the drug's parent company; the president has denied making money off the medication.

"I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science – not politics or cronyism – has to lead the way," Mr Bright said in a statement to Times reporter Maggie Haberman. He is asking a government inspector general to investigate the matter.

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"My professional background has prepared me for a moment like this – to confront and defeat a deadly virus that threatens Americans and people around the globe. To this point, I have led the government's efforts to invest in the best science available to combat the Covid-19 pandemic," wrote the career federal official, who was not a political appointee of the Trump administration.

"Unfortunately, this resulted in clashes with HHS political leadership, including criticism for my proactive efforts to invest early into vaccines and supplies critical to saving American lives. I also resisted efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections," he added.

The doctor said he warned internally about potential side effects and other risks of using the malaria drug for Covid-19 before it was fully vetted.

"Specifically, and contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit," he told the newspaper. "While I am prepared to look at all options and to think 'outside the box' for effective treatments, I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public.