US President Donald Trump on Monday made the surprise announcement that he is taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that his own government experts say is not suitable for fighting Covid-19.
Trump has shown interest for weeks in promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine, even if some doctors think it does not work for coronavirus patients and US government regulators warn it has "not been shown to be safe."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it's "not a good idea" for Trump to be taking the drug as a potential treatment for the coronavirus.
Trump said he has received many "positive calls" from people, whom he did not identify, telling him about the malaria drug.
By contrast, the government's Food and Drug Administration warns against giving hydroxychloroquine for either prevention or treatment of the coronavirus, noting reported side effects including "serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19."
