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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is oleandrin an approved treatment for COVID-19?

By Meredith Hertan
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NO

Oleandrin, a natural compound found in the toxic shrub nerium oleander, has not been proved effective against the coronavirus and has not been authorized by regulators. The compound has been extensively promoted by Phoenix Biotechnology and one of its board members, Mike Lindell. Lindell, a Minnesota businessman, is chief executive of MyPillow Inc. and a prominent supporter of President Trump.

Oleandrin has been previously studied as a possible cancer treatment and antiviral. A July 2020 study touted it as a possible prophylactic intervention and therapeutic for the coronavirus, but the paper has not yet been vetted by other scientists.

In September the Food and Drug Administration released a letter to Phoenix stating that oleandrin had not been not approved as a safe dietary supplement, and mentioning that it had been considered (but not approved) as a prescription drug.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Chemical & Engineering News: What is oleandrin, the compound touted as a possible COVID-19 treatment?
Phoenix Biotechnology: Home page
Michael J. Lindell: Personal journey; chairman of Trump campaign in Minnesota
bioRxiv: Prophylactic and therapeutic inhibition of in vitro SARS-CoV-2 replication by oleandrin
Regulations.gov: Oleandrin from Phoenix Biotechnology Inc.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.