California Man Charged With Stealing Hundreds of Hydroxychloroquine Tablets From Hospital

Journalist

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Former pharmacy technician Christopher Mencias Agustin from Torrance, California, was charged on Monday with stealing anti-malaria prescription drugs from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he worked. The drugs are believed by some to be a treatment for COVID-19.

According to Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Agustin is suspected of taking more than 700 hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin tablets. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is scheduled to return to court on May 5 for a preliminary hearing.

Agustin was charged with two counts of second-degree burglary during an emergency, plus one count of concealing or withholding stolen property exceeding $950. The cost of the drugs stolen is around $6,700, estimated the prosecutor. The defendant faces up to four years and four months in jail if convicted.

These particular drugs have been mentioned by President Donald Trump as a possible treatment for COVID-19. However, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases rejects the claim that these anti-malarial drugs are a suitable treatment for coronavirus.

The American Heart Association claims that hydroxychloroquine can worsen heart conditions and the drug has not yet undergone suitable clinical trials for usage in the treatment of COVID-19.

Hydroxychloroquine causes other side effects such as liver toxicity, blurred vision and difficulty breathing. The drug has previously been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis – there is evidence it can reduce swelling, pain and joint stiffness.

After clinical trials, doctors in China reported that hydroxychloroquine shortened the recovery time for a small number of patients suffering from COVID-19. They found the cough, fever, and symptoms of pneumonia went away faster in the patients treated with hydroxychloroquine.

More recent findings, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, have shown that there is insufficient evidence to recommend any treatment at this stage for COVID-19.

Pharmaceutical company Novartis has been given the green light to conduct a clinical trial of the effects of hydroxychloroquine on 400 U.S coronavirus patients. Tests are currently underway at various locations around the country.

On Monday, the Department of Justice cleared U.S. pharmaceutical companies from legal barriers to make it easier for them to provide the contentious hydroxychloroquine drug to coronavirus patients.

Last month, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use approval for hydroxychloroquine to be delivered to hospitals across the country. The U.S. currently has around 29 million hydroxychloroquine pills stockpiled.