The CIA warned its employees in late March that hydroxychloroquine — the anti-malarial drug touted by President Donald Trump as a promising treatment for COVID-19 — could potentially lead to death, The Washington Post is reporting.
The agency’s warning came on a website for the CIA workforce, according to the newspaper.
Trump has continued to raise hydroxychloroquine, taken with azithromycin, as a possible treatment for the coronavirus.
In a March 21 tweet, he said: “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.”
On March 27, a CIA website cited media reports suggesting the drug “has activity against the COVID-19 virus.”
The Post said the website noted: “At this point, the drug is not recommended to be used by patients except by medical professionals prescribing it as part of ongoing investigational studies. There are potentially significant side effects, including sudden cardiac death, associated with hydroxychloroquine and its individual use in patients need to be carefully selected and monitored by a health care professional.”
It added in bold type: “Please do not obtain this medication on your own.”
The warning came as a response after an employee had asked whether the drug could be taken without a prescription.
A CIA spokesman declined to comment about the warning.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.