- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 26, 2020

Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, accused Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak of “partisan politics” for restricting the use of hydroxychloroquine after President Trump touted it as a treatment for COVID-19.

“Neither of us is a doctor & neither knows what treatment is most effective against this disease,” said Mr. Cruz in a late Wednesday tweet. “Your order prohibits NV doctors—outside of a hospital—from prescribing what they, in their medical judgment, think can help their patients. That’s partisan politics; this is a crisis.”

Mr. Sisolak, a Democrat, signed an emergency order Tuesday limiting doctors from prescribing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which are commonly used to treat malaria, for the novel coronavirus to patients in a hospital setting.

His order came after an Arizona man died and his wife was hospitalized after ingesting the aquarium cleaner chloroquine phosphate in an effort to protect against COVID-19.

In response, Mr. Sisolak noted that Texas recently adopted limits on hydroxychloroquine amid reports that prescribers have been hoarding the drug, which has been used off-label in combination with the antibiotic azythromycin to treat the virus.

The governor cited the risk of “bad actors … creating a shortage of critical drugs for those that need it the most.”

“We’re in a pandemic. As leaders, let’s stand together as Americans to forget the partisan politics, put the health & safety of our citizens first, & commit to sharing accurate information,” tweeted Mr. Sisolak. “We can mitigate and stop #COVID19 if we do it together.”

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy order adopted March 20 limits prescriptions of four drugs, including chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, to 14 days, but does not restrict their use to inpatients only.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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