Schumer Demands Answers on Whether Vets Are Being Used For Clandestine COVID-19 Drug Testing in New York

Citing a slew of unanswered questions related to exactly what the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has done —and is doing— with its supply of chloroquine drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer demanded answers, today, on whether vets are being used for clandestine COVID-19 testing. Schumer said a recent bulk order not only spurs questions, but the lack of answers about the entire shipment—where exactly it went and why—has veterans groups concerned and alarmed.

“When it comes to the testing and treatment of vets with these chloroquine drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, families are left with more questions than answers,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.

 “The VA needs to provide full details on the recent bulk order, the status of any testing and the notification process to families. Recent actions by the VA have spurred serious questions and the fact that the VA has yet to answer them is deeply concerning. If vets are being given this risky drug, New York families –and all families– have a right to know what is going on and what’s intended for the future.”

Schumer said that if vets in New York, or anywhere else, are being given this risky drug(s) then families and the public have a right to fully know. He detailed questions he wants the VA to answer on behalf of veterans groups by June 1^st and he cited New York’s 79 VA facilities as he made the case for transparency. Schumer added that any testing and treatment of vets for COVID-19 must be rooted in medical science above all else.

“Veterans need access to as much information as possible. And we need VA to provide that information,” Chanin Nuntavong, the executive director for government and veteran affairs at the American Legion, a leading veteran service organization, told the Washington Post last week.

And the Veterans of Foreign Wars also told the Washington Post it was “very disturbed” that the VA is still administering the drug for covid-19 treatment.

“We request the immediate halt of this drug for our veterans until further information on its true impact is determined,” William Schmitz, the national commander of the veteran service organization, told the Newspaper on May 1.

While we do not know where a recent bulk order of hydroxychlorquine was shipped, Schumer cited the 79 VA hospitals across New York as possible destinations and reason for his concerns:

Schumer’s letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie appears below:

Secretary Wilkie,

I write seeking information regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continued use of hydroxychloroquine, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned can cause life-threatening cardiac issues when used to treat COVID-19. Veteran’s groups remain deeply concerned that the VA has made large purchases of this drug and appears to have administered it to veterans despite the well-known, and in some cases, fatal risks.

According to public reports, the VA conducted a study on the impacts of hydroxychloroquine on hundreds of patients with COVID-19 at Veterans Health Administration medical centers. Alarmingly, the VA’s own study found that the drug was not only ineffective in treating COVID-19, but actually increased the risk of death among patients. In the study of 368 patients, 97 patients who took hydroxychloroquine had a 27.8% death rate while the 58 patients who did not take the drug had an 11.4% death rate.

As you are aware, the FDA issued a drug safety communication warning the public about serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, often in combination with azithromycin and other QT prolonging medicines. The FDA stated that Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19  and warned that patients who also have other health issues such as heart and kidney disease are likely to be at increased risk of these heart problems when receiving these medicines. As part of its safety communication, the FDA also urged urges patients and health providers to report and track side effects and serious adverse events related to the administration of these drugs.

Despite these significant concerns from medical experts, it appears the VA has made large, bulk purchases of hydroxychloroquine and may be continuing to administer the drug to patients at VA medical centers. America’s older Vietnam veteran population faces additional risks as a result of conditions linked to their exposure to toxic defoliants like Agent Orange, including diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and lung problems. Even younger veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who may have inhaled toxic fumes from burn pits — in which plastic, body parts, bloody uniforms and other items were soaked in jet fuel and set ablaze — may face additional respiratory or cardiac risks from COVID-19.

As a result, it is imperative that veterans and their families be made aware of the department’s practices with regard to the administration of these drugs and any risks they may be exposed to. In order to better understand how hydroxychloroquine is being used to treat veterans suffering from COVID-19 please provide answers to the following questions no later than May 22, 2020.

1)     What was the explicit purpose for the bulk order of hydroxychloroquine, which was made in the last several weeks? What proportion of the order was used to treat acute malaria, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis?  What proportion was used to treat COVID-19?  Other conditions?

2)     Is the VA continuing to administer hydroxychloroquine to patients for the purposes of treating COVID-19? If yes, how many veterans have been treated with hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.

3)     Is the VA tracking and reporting detailed information regarding any serious adverse events related to the use of hydroxychloroquine?

4)     Does the VA plan on providing detailed information to veterans and their families related to the use of hydroxychloroquine for testing or treatment related to COVID-19?

5)     Which VA sites will or have received drugs from this recent order for the purposes of treating of COVID?

6)     Is the VA currently able to meet all needs for hydroxychloroquine for veteran patients with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus?

7)     Is there any informed consent at VA medical centers for receiving hydroxychloroquine? If so, is it written or verbal?

8)     Does the VA plan any further studies involving veteran patients regarding the use of COVID-19?

9)     Will the VA provide notification to Congress on any experimental tests being done on vets related to COVID-19?

10) Were you or any official at the VA ever pressured by the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services or any other agencies to use hydroxychloroquine on veteran patients for the treatment of COVID-19?