BRASILIA, Sept 28 (Reuters) – A Brazilian hospital chain tested unproven drugs on elderly COVID-19 patients without their knowledge as part of an effort to validate President Jair Bolsonaro’s preferred ‘miracle cure,’ a lawyer for whistleblowing doctors told senators on Tuesday.
At least nine people died of COVID-19 during the trials at the Prevent Senior hospital chain from March to April 2020, but their charts were altered to hide the cause of death, lawyer Bruna Morato told a Senate inquiry.
Prevent Senior did not reply to a request for comment.
Pedro Batista, owner and executive director of the hospital chain, acknowledged in testimony to the Senate inquiry last week that patients’ charts where altered to remove any reference to COVID-19 after they had been hospitalized for two weeks, saying they were no longer a risk of contagion.
He denied testing unproven drugs on patients without their knowledge, saying patients were asking for treatments in clinical trials and doctors made the prescriptions they saw fit.
“It’s the doctor who prescribes any medicine and, at the time, everyone recalls comments from (President Bolsonaro) and other influential people, so there were a lot of patients demanding prescriptions,” Batista told the senators.
On Tuesday, Morato, representing 12 doctors employed at Prevent Senior, said the company threatened and fired doctors who disagreed with a predetermined “COVID kit” that included hydroxychloroquine, erythromycin and ivermectin. There is no scientific evidence that those drugs are beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19.
“Very vulnerable elderly patients were told there was a good treatment, but they did not know they were being used as guinea pigs,” Morato, the whistleblowers’ attorney, told senators investigating Brazil’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
She said doctors were told not to explain the treatment to the patients or their relatives.
“The purpose was to show that there was an effective treatment against COVID-19,” Morato said.
She said the hospital wanted to help the Bolsonaro government, which was touting the unproven drugs as an effective treatment against the virus that would protect Brazilians from contagion if they went back to work.
“It was like an exchange, I was told. Some doctors called it a pact, others described it as an alliance,” she said.
The Health Ministry did not reply to a request for comment. It is unclear how much the government knew about the alleged trials.
In a speech last week at the United Nations, Bolsonaro again praised “early treatment” of COVID-19 via off-label use of unspecified drugs, claiming that science would some day vindicate their use against the coronavirus.
The pandemic has killed nearly 600,000 Brazilians in the world’s second-deadliest outbreak outside the United States.
Subscribe here for as low as .08 cents per day to access exclusive content and join the PVDN Newsletter, and browse this site with fewer ads.
Trending news on PVDN
- Gentrification of Puerto Vallarta: Causes, Consequences, and Advantages Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Puerto Vallarta has been experiencing an increase in prices for rents, food, and other necessities, which could be a symptom of gentrification. For many foreigners and expats in Puerto Vallarta, these increases may seem small and still much cheaper than their home country, but it may be resulting in Mexican locals…
- Playa Careyes, a foreigner’s paradise for luxurious relaxation south of Puerto Vallarta (VIDEO) Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Playa Careyes is a hidden gem on the Pacific coast of Mexico, located in the heart of the Costa Alegre region and 3.5 hours south of Puerto Vallarta. This secluded beach is a favorite among travelers who are looking for a peaceful and relaxing vacation away from the crowds. With its…
- Condominium development in Puerto Vallarta is destabilizing the hydrological cycle Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – At a recent conference on “Risks in Water Management and its Influence on the Real Estate sector of the Interstate Metropolitan Area of Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas,” Dr. Bartolo Cruz Romero, a research professor at the Centro Universitario de la Costa of the University of Guadalajara, emphasized the importance…
- Majahuitas cove in Puerto Vallarta, one of the most peaceful places in Mexico Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Majahuitas is a small, secluded cove located on the southern coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It is surrounded by lush jungle and pristine beaches that make it a paradise for those seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In this essay, we will explore the history, culture,…
- What is considered lower, middle, and upper class in Mexico? Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – The issue of what social class one belongs to in Mexico is often a matter of debate among those who discuss it, since there are no established parameters that define the social class in Mexico. Although the National Institute of Statistics and Geography ( INEGI) identified some socioeconomic characteristics of each…
