RIO DE JANEIRO ¨C Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, addressing the nation last month in a video on social media, touted the latest in a string of unconventional drugs he says can ease the country¡¯s COVID-19 crisis.
Bolsonaro ¡ª a vaccine skeptic and promoter of discredited treatments such as hydroxychloroquine ¡ª said this new drug, Proxalutamide, would ¡°soon be available to all Brazil.¡± He invited a little-known Health Ministry official, Helio Angotti, to expand on its promise.
Angotti, an eye doctor with no epidemiological experience, cited a domestic Proxalutamide study showing a 92% decrease in mortality risk among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It was a dramatic claim amid a global struggle to find effective treatments. He said he aimed to ¡°get it to the Brazilian population as soon as possible.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.