Oklahoma spent $2M on hydroxychloroquine — and now wants to make a return

Just days after former President Trump pushed hydroxychloroquine as a potential coronavirus treatment, Oklahoma’s governor dropped $2 million on stockpiling the drug. Now, the state wants its money back.

According to The Frontier, the governor, Kevin Stitt, is trying to return its supply of hydroxychloroquine to FFF Enterprises, a California-based private pharmaceutical wholesaler.

About 20 states purchased supplies of hydroxychloroquine last year as speculation spread that the drug could be an effective coronavirus treatment. But just two states — Oklahoma and Utah — bought a stockpile from private pharmaceutical companies. 

Stitt says he ordered the purchase in the hopes of helping residents battle the virus, but critics panned the move, saying that it was made to appease conservatives backing Trump’s approval of the drug.

Despite Trump’s praise of hydroxychloroquine as a potential “game-changer,” the drug quickly fell from grace last year as scientific evidence mounted that it was ineffective as a coronavirus treatment and could have potentially deadly side effects. 

FFF Enterprises has not indicated if it will appease the return request.