Patients with autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis have been forced to ration or skip doses of hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic due to shortages caused by off-label prescribing. Yet despite multiple FDA clinical studies that concluded the drug offers no clinical benefit against covid and may increase dangerous side effects; President Trump continues to use the bully pulpit to suggest otherwise. It's not like autoimmune patients — at greater risk of serious COVID disease, stress-induced flare-ups and vaccine complications — didn’t have enough to worry about already.