COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Pharmacy Board is working to limit stockpiling of two anti-malarial drug that have been touted by President Donald Trump as a possible — but unproven — treatment for COVID-19.

In an emergency meeting Sunday, the board proposed an emergency rule requiring pharmacists who prescribe hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 treatments to only do so if the patient has a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, and if they do, to only prescribe a 14-day supply with no automatic refills.

The new rule is needed to make sure the drugs are available for one of their primary approved purposes: treating autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, pharmacy board members said. Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to take action soon so it takes effect immediately.

Pharmacy board staff have noticed a statewide spike in recent days of off-label prescriptions in the drugs, agency spokesman Cameron McNamee said. The board action still allows those off-label prescriptions to to be fulfilled, but requires pharmacists to confirm the patient has coronavirus, and limits how much they can issue.

“We’re worried about stockpiling from people who have no documented need for them,” he said.

Other states, including Idaho and Texas, have taken similar action to limit prescriptions of the drugs, he said.

Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said Saturday there are preliminary reports from China and France that suggest the drug could be helpful in treating COVID-19. At this point, she described their current status as "experimental, compassionate use.”

But, she said, the drugs are proven to be “very, very vital” to patients with autoimmune diseases, who use them regularly to manage their symptoms.

“We’ve got to limit the prescription to 14 days in these compassionate-use cases so people don’t stockpile it and try to sell it or misuse it,” she said.

On Saturday, Trump used his official Twitter account to tout hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19. When paired with an anti-bacterial drug, he said, it had the possibility “to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.”

Some doctors criticized Trump for overhyping the benefits of an unproven treatment, which they said could exacerbate existing supply issues for patients who need the drug.

"Rheumatologists are furious about the hype going on over this drug,” Dr. Michael Lockshin, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, told the New York Times. “There is a run on it and we’re getting calls every few minutes, literally, from patients who are trying to stay on the drug and finding it in short supply.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, has been much more cautious in his comments about the drug’s potential.

“What I’m saying is, it might be effective,” Fauci said in a Friday briefing at the White House. “I’m not saying it isn’t. But as a scientist, as we’re getting it out there, we need to do it in a way that while we are making it available for people who might want the hope that it might work, we’re also collecting data that will ultimately show that it is truly effective and safe under the conditions of COVID-19.”

Sunday’s state pharmacy board meeting was conducted via a tele-conference, a safety measure imposed in response to public-health guidelines about public gatherings.

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