The attorney general’s office in the state of Oklahoma is reportedly seeking to return $2 million dollars worth of the anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, according to the Frontier.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt made the decision in April of 2020 to order 1.2 million pills—an estimated 100,000 doses—of hydroxychloroquine from a private pharmaceutical wholesale company, FFF Enterprises Inc., in an attempt to prepare for COVID-19. Nearly a year later and the state is attempting to return the medication, according to The Frontier.(RELATED: Questions Emerge Over Studies Purporting Dangerous Effects Of Hydroxychloroquine And Other Class Of Medications On COVID-19 Patients)
Stitt was criticized at the time for making such a large purchase. This move was seen by some as a partisan attempt to support Former President Donald Trump’s support for the drug. Stitt responded to the criticisms, “that money will not have gone to waste in any respect,”according to the New York Post.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 18: U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK) speaks during a roundtable at the State Dining Room of the White House June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump held a roundtable discussion with Governors and small business owners on the reopening of American’s small business. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Oklahoma is one of an estimated 20 other state governments that obtained the drug, the difference being, however, that the other states received the drug via donations from the federal reserve or other private companies. Oklahoma and Utah were the only two states that purchased the drug from private companies, according to U.S. News.
Whether or not the state will be able to recoup the $2 million—and if so exactly how much—has yet to be determined. Carly Atchison, Stitt’s spokeswoman, has stated that “Every decision the Governor makes is with the health and lives of Oklahomans in mind, including purchasing hydroxychloroquine, securing PPE, and now distributing vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible to combat this COVID crisis.”