A warning to physicians who think it’s perfectly legal to promote and prescribe off-label treatments for COVID-19—be careful, as it might be considered a violation of criminal statute and lead to jail time. This is exactly what U.S. attorneys charged Dr. Jennings Ryan Staley for. Staley pleaded guilty last year for attempting to smuggle hydroxychloroquine into America for a treatment kit he was promoting to patients as means to essentially ‘cure’ the novel coronavirus.

Recently sentenced to 30 days in jail, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, Dr. Staley would position the regimen as a “miracle cure” for COVID-19. He now is headed to jail for 30 days and then confined to home for one year.

Lines Crossed

It’s not against the law for a physician to prescribe a generic, off-label treatment if it’s done with the patient in a way that includes no medical promotions as well as informed consent. But this case was different. Staley sought out Hydroxychloroquine wholesale suppliers in China in a bid to smuggle the product into the United States, and then package and promote it as a SARS-CoV-2 treatment.

Making the Chinese connection, Staley intentionally mislabeled the drug used for malaria, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions as “yam extract” to deceive customers as to the contents of the package. Apparently, in court, it became apparent that the San Diego area physician wanted another supplier to go along with the scheme, but they declined.

TrialSite’s Daniel O’Connor shared, “Yes, this doctor crossed multiple lines as he sought to sell actual treatments for COVID-19 based on the hydroxychloroquine at his Skinny Beach Med Spas, promoting them as a ‘magic bullet’ or ‘100 percent cure.’ These and other line-crossing statements were captured by undercover FBI agents posing as a potential patient shopping for treatments.”

Staley also declared the medical kits would offer his patients at least six weeks of immunity. Pleading guilty last year, the doctor did acknowledge that he crossed a line, abusing a position of public trust.

https://www.trialsitenews.com/a/physician-who-prescribed-hydroxychloroquine-for-covid-19-to-jail-for-30-days-e073886c