Ohio department of health bans hydroxychloroquine—then governor steps in to halt ban

Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, however, stepped in on Thursday and publicly asked the State Medical Board and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to “halt the new rule issued Thursday that bans the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment of COVID-19.”

“I agree with the statement from Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision about prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 should be between a doctor and a patient,” tweeted DeWine.

“The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts. Therefore, I am asking the @OhioRxBoard to halt their new rule prohibiting the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.”

Melanie Amato, an ODH spokeswoman noted that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in treating coronavirus, when speaking to the press on Thursday.

A statement was issued by the Ohio Department of Health regarding the Board of Pharmacy rule.

The statement reads:

On July 30, 2020, Board of Pharmacy rule 4729:5-5-21 of the Administrative Code goes into effect. In general, the rule prohibits all terminal distributors (including pharmacist, prescriber clinics, out-of-state pharmacies, and institutional facilities) from selling or dispensing hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.

Please be advised that this rule replaces emergency rule 4729-5-30.2 and that all approvals for the use of these medications made under that rule are no longer applicable.

The implementation of the rule is based on the following developments:

June 15, 2020: Based on ongoing analysis and emerging scientific data, FDA has revoked the emergency use authorization to use hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19 in certain hospitalized patients when a clinical trial is unavailable or participation is not feasible. The agency made this determination based on recent results from a large, randomized clinical trial in hospitalized patients that found these medicines showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery. This outcome was consistent with other new data, including those showing the suggested dosing for these medicines are unlikely to kill or inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19. As a result, FDA determined that the legal criteria for the EUA are no longer met.

July 1, 2020: A summary of the FDA review of safety issues with the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is now available. This includes reports of serious heart rhythm problems and other safety issues, including blood and lymph system disorders, kidney injuries, and liver problems and failure.

DeWine also announced earlier this week that child care providers can go back to pre-pandemic class sizes and ratios beginning Aug. 9. He added that providers that choose to remain at the lower ratios will be subsidized.