Rick Bright said on Wednesday he was replaced as director of the
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA,
because he resisted the Trump administration's efforts to push
hydroxychloroquine and the related chloroquine as cures for
COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the malaria
drugs as a treatment for coronavirus though few studies suggest
a possible benefit.
"In our filing we will make clear that Dr. Bright was sidelined
for one reason only -- because he resisted efforts to provide
unfettered access to potentially dangerous drugs, including
chloroquine, a drug promoted by the administration as a panacea,
but which is untested and possibly deadly when used improperly,"
his lawyers said in a statement.
His lawyers said they will file the complaint with the Office of
Special Counsel and the Department of Health and Human Services'
Inspector General.
Bright hopes he will be reinstated in his post at BARDA once the
facts of the case become known, his lawyers said.
The Office of Special Counsel, an independent U.S. government
agency, investigates and can prosecute abuses against federal
employees.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by
Doina Chiacu and Tom Brown)
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