Hydroxychloroquine and the dangers of "medical populism"

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the global spread of the idea that hydroxychloroquine can treat coronavirus. Americans know it as Trump’s favorite drug, but the idea actually started with a famous contrarian doctor in France — and its most fervent acolyte in politics is the Brazilian president, not the American one. They talk about how faith in the drug spread globally, despite a lack of evidence and considerable reason to worry about its side effects, and how it exemplifies a style of politics that academics have termed “medical populism.”

References:

The Guardian has a great story on the origins of how hydroxychloroquine became a global phenomenon.

Here’s that study on “medical populism” we talked about so much.

Populists around the world are turning to hydroxychloroquine, reports the Washington Post.

The New York Times has a thorough profile of French doctor Didier Raoult.

You can find the video of Brazilians singing about the drug to President Bolsonaro here.

Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox
Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox
Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox
 
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About Vox:
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Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the global spread of the idea that hydroxychloroquine can treat coronavirus. Americans know it as Trump’s favorite drug, but the idea actually started with a famous contrarian doctor in France — and its most fervent acolyte in politics is the Brazilian president, not the American one. They talk about how faith in the drug spread globally, despite a lack of evidence and considerable reason to worry about its side effects, and how it exemplifies a style of politics that academics have termed “medical populism.”

References:

The Guardian has a great story on the origins of how hydroxychloroquine became a global phenomenon.

Here’s that study on “medical populism” we talked about so much.

Populists around the world are turning to hydroxychloroquine, reports the Washington Post.

The New York Times has a thorough profile of French doctor Didier Raoult.

You can find the video of Brazilians singing about the drug to President Bolsonaro here.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:

Vox.com 

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices