‘The president is not a medical professional’: Republican senator urges Americans to ignore Trump on hydroxychloroquine

Lisa Murkowski becomes latest public figure to criticise president’s use of unproven drug

US senator Lisa Murkowski has cautioned Americans against putting stock in Donald Trump’s medical remarks, after he admitted taking an unproven drug in an attempt to avoid Covid-19.

“What I’m saying, follow the guidance of our medical professionals,” said Ms Murkowski to CNN. “I’m not a medical professional. The president is not. We should be listening to them.”

The Republican’s comments came as politicians from both parties denounced Mr Trump’s remarks on hydroxychloroquine, which is not approved for use on Covid-19 cases outside of hospital or research settings.

Mr Trump said on Monday that he had begun taking hydroxychloroquine pills in an attempt to prevent contracting coronavirus.

Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi described the decision as “not a good idea”.

“He’s our president, and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists,” said Ms Pelosi. “Especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group.”

The president, whose body mass index score places him in the "obese" category, is among those who could experience "severe side effects" from the drug, said Dr Stephen Griffin, an associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds.

"[Hydroxychloroquine] can have severe side effects, not least those affecting the heart and cardiovascular system, for which the president has a medical history," he said.

With the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning last month that the drug could cause heart rhythm problems, Fox News host Neil Cavuto also denounced Mr Trump's decision live on air.

"If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment ... it will kill you. I cannot stress enough. This will kill you," he said.

Mr Cavuto added that although hydroxychloroquine had been used to treat malaria, it was not proven to help against Covid-19.

Medical experts agree that drugs can be dangerous when used against different diseases.

“For example, preliminary data from the US indicates that patients with Covid-19 who took hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die than patients who did not take the drug,” said Dr Ayfer Ali, an expert on drug repurposing at Warwick Business School.

Dr Ali, who described Mr Trump’s comments as “ irresponsible”, added that the US president “not only exposes millions of people to dangerous side effects, but also risks exhausting the supplies of such drugs for people who need them for proven uses”.