FILE - In this photo illustration, tablets on a blister pack of Hydroxychloroquine are displayed on April 22, 2020 in Tehatta, West Bengal, India. ( Photo Illustration by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images ) WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of a government agency combating the coronavirus pandemic alleged Wednesday that he was ousted for opposing politically connected efforts to promote a malaria drug that President Donald Trump touted without proof as a remedy for COVID-19.
Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, said in a statement that he was summarily removed from his job on Tuesday and reassigned to a lesser role.