Dr. Nise Yamaguchi contradicted versions given by authorities who gave statements before the committee investigating the government's management of Covid. On Tuesday (1), she denied that she is part of a parallel office and stated that she did not lead the initiative to change the package insert for hydroxychloroquine by presidential decree.
Despite saying that she did not give parallel counseling, the doctor reported her participation in meetings with members of the government of President Jair Bolsonaro in which early treatment against Covid-19 was discussed.
An oncologist and immunologist, Nise is an advocate of using hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, drugs without proven efficacy in the treatment of Covid.
Appointed as one of Bolsonaro's main advisers, the doctor said that she did not meet alone with the head of the Executive. She just said that she remembered his participation in some meetings and events.
In one of them, she claimed that Bolsonaro only wanted to know about scientific data on hydroxychloroquine. In response, according to her report to the CPI, she told the president that the doctors were "divided" and that there was discussion regarding the scientific part of the drug.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon