A drug store technician is facing criminal charges after he supposedly took a combination of anti-malaria tablets and antibiotics that have actually been promoted by President Trump as a prospective treatment for coronavirus.
Christopher Mencias Agustin, 35, of Torrance was charged this week with two felony counts of second-degree robbery throughout an emergency situation and one felony count of concealing or keeping taken residential or commercial property surpassing $950
Agustin is accused of getting in Harbor-UCLA Medical Center to steal prescription drugs on 2 celebrations last month. He is charged with taking more than 700 tablets of hydroxychloroquine, which is used to deal with malaria and was recently promoted as a possible COVID-19 treatment, along with azithromycin.
It is a drug mix initially held up by some European medical professionals as helping the battle versus COVID-19 and welcomed as practical by Trump. A current advisory from the National Institutes of Health advises against the use of hydroxychloroquine in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin in COVID-19 cases. The advisory brings the code A-III, implying that it’s a “strong suggestion” versus its usage, based upon “expert viewpoint.” The NIH cites the drug combination’s “capacity for toxicities.”
Agustin is because of be arraigned in a downtown court Wednesday. Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Fern of the Cyber Criminal Offense Department, who is prosecuting the case, said the prescriptions deserved $6,700
If convicted of all charges, the now-former drug store professional could face up to four years and 4 months behind bars.
