left over from the 1M he hoarded while the hoarding was good have probably expired by now.

'It was a real problem,' Dr. Norman Gaylis says.

The promotion by governors like DeSantis and the former president quickly created a run on the treatment, frustrating Florida rheumatologists.

"It was a real problem," said Dr. Norman Gaylis, a Florida physician with the American College of Rheumatology. "We don't have enough time in the day to answer how much it frustrates me with the way this has been handled."

Gaylis said April and May were difficult times for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients who need the pills to fight disability and pain. Those he treats were unable to fill prescriptions, forced to ration what they had and find sources from outside the country.

Meanwhile, states had little use for their stockpiles as research piled up suggested the drug did little to treat COVID-19 and raised safety questions.

"My guess is the majority hydroxychloroquine sitting in states' storage facilities are basically going to end up being thrown away," Gaylis said.

Some states indeed continue to sit on large supplies of the medicine, which has a two-year shelf life. Oregon has yet to use any of its 50,000 tablets. Texas has about 92% of its million doses remaining. Both are working to find a use. Oklahoma officials are trying to return about $2 million of the pills to their supplier.

In Florida, about 980,000 doses were on hand as of June. Officials haven't been able to provide an updated total but said they're working to distribute them.

[Post edited by Hoo TV at 01/05/2024 12:00AM]