Let the FDA Approve Oleandrin to Treat the New Coronavirus? Trump : We will Study Further

According to a report by CBS News on the 18th, U. S. President Trump stated that he is willing to consider the Oleander extract recommended by Mike Lindel, CEO of MyPillow, as a treatment for the new coronavirus virus, even though this extract comes from a poisonous plant, and there is no medical research to show whether this extract is safe or effective for humans.

On Monday, when CBS News reporter Paula Reid asked Trump if he was urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the use of Oleandrin extracted from Oleander to treat the virus, the president replied, 'No.' He added, 'I have heard of (this kind of statement).' He then asked Reid, 'Are people talking about this seriously? We will study it."

Oleander is a poisonous plant. Botanist Cassandra Queve said, 'All parts of this plant are poisonous. If you eat it, it will cause arrhythmia, which can be fatal to humans and animals.'

Lindel was called his 'initial supporter' by President Trump. Last week Lindel joined the board of directors of Phoenix Biotech, which is seeking to develop and market the product. Lindel himself has no scientific background.

Lindell said the company's CEO Andrew Whitney contacted him on Easter Day to promote the extract as a treatment. According to 'Washington Post' report, Lindell helped arrange a meeting, and Whitney was able to lobby the president personally at the White House.

In an interview with CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, Lindel said that he had been taking Oleandrin since April and called it 'a miracle in history'. Lindel claimed that the extract has been tested on humans, but did not provide evidence to prove it. An unpublished or peer-reviewed study claims to test the effects of Oleandrin on African green monkey cells in test tubes, claiming that it 'greatly' reduces virus production.

The lead researcher of the study refuted the company's claims. Dr. Scott Weaver, a virologist at the University of Texas’ Galveston Division of Medicine, said in a statement that the laboratory’s results are 'just the first step' and do not necessarily indicate the use of this substance. The manufactured medicine will be effective for the human body.

Queff is an Assistant Professor at Emory University. He was not involved in the study, but he pointed out that the test did not address 'the well-known heart poisoning caused by animals or humans eating this chemical.'

Queff wrote, 'It is vital that the FDA and its Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn must ensure that the public is protected from this poison.'

Andrew Whitney told the media that this study is undergoing peer review and said that consumers have more than one way to obtain Oleandrin. He said that he is studying the process of seeking approval for it as a drug for the treatment of the new coronavirus, but he is also working hard to get FDA approval to market it as a nutritional product, which he said may be achieved soon.