GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The North Carolina Medical Board has indefinitely suspended the license of a Gaston County physician’s assistant for writing hydroxychloroquine prescriptions for himself and his family, even though none of them had COVID-19 or needed the drug.
The decision, which was made on March 16, will take effect April 1.
Brian O’Connor, who works at CaroMont Heart in Gaston County, admitted he read an article that touted the benefits of using the drug to treat COVID-19. In March 2020, he wrote prescriptions for himself and his immediate family.
A letter from the medical board said O’Connor did it when the pandemic spread across almost every continent with no cure in sight.
O’Connor agreed to conditions set by the board, including meeting with board members for any investigative interviews, obeying all rules and regulations, and providing any information the board believes is necessary to verify compliance with the terms and conditions.
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According to the medical board’s paperwork, O’Connor waived his right to any hearing, any judicial review or appeal in this case.
“I think it’s very selfish of a doctor to do that for his family when they didn’t need it, didn’t test positive for COVID-19,” said Allison Beatty, who is a pharmacist and a patient who was prescribed hydroxychloroquine for arthritis.
She knows the positive difference the drug can make.
“Just everyday activities like getting out of the bed in the morning,” Beatty said.
Don Thrower, who is a pharmacist and the co-owner of Medical Center Pharmacy, said there was a huge demand for the drug after President Donald Trump told Americans in May he was taking the medicine to prevent catching COVID-19
People still wanted hydroxychloroquine despite medical experts’ warnings to not use it for COVID-19.
“We would order it and not get it. Order it and not get it,” Thrower said.
The supply is still limited, he said.
“They don’t have any at the warehouse,” Thrower said.
Medical experts said hydroxychloroquine can be most harmful to people with heart problems.
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