In the words of San Diego physician Jennings Staley, the drug hydroxychloroquine​, approved to treat conditions ranging from malaria to lupus, was "almost too good to be true." In reality, the man on the other end of the line was an undercover FBI agent conducting an investigation into possible health care fraud. In a follow-up call, the doctor allegedly told the undercover FBI agent he would also sell him Viagra and Xanax, a Category IV controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. According to the criminal complaint, the agents asked Staley if he had ever guaranteed his patients that hydroxychloroquine was a cure for Covid-19. ​The criminal complaint notes the drug hydroxychloroquine has received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and may be effective in treating those with Covid-19.