The House of Representatives panel looking into the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic is seeking information from and an interview with former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, the Washington Post reports.
In a letter, James Clyburn (D-South Carolina), the panel chair, says it is investigating political interference into the pandemic response, including whether former President Donald Trump and his administration pressured the FDA to allow the use of unproven treatments for COVID-19, it adds.
The FDA granted emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as COVID-19 treatments even though there was little evidence supporting their use, the Post says, noting it later revoked that authorization. It adds that FDA also authorized convalescent plasma as an emergency COVID-19 treatment despite concerns that more data was needed.
"Given the sustained campaigns to promote the use of dubious coronavirus treatments, the Select Subcommittee seeks to understand the full extent and impact of Trump Administration officials' efforts to influence these FDA decisions," Clyburn writes in the letter to Hahn. He further asks Hahn to provide relevant documents and appear for an interview.