At least two drugs used to treat President Trump’s coronavirus infection were tested on cells derived from fetal tissue — contradicting the Trump administration’s opposition to the use of human embryonic cell lines in medical research. The drugs are remdesivir, an antiviral, and an experimental cocktail of monoclonal antibodies produced by Regeneron. A similar experimental drug produced by Eli Lilly was also tested using cells derived from fetal tissue. Last year, the Trump administration cut federal funding to many projects that use fetal tissue or embryonic stem cell lines, meeting a core demand of anti-abortion activists.

President Trump declared this week he was “cured” of COVID-19 after he received the Regeneron antibody treatment. The drug is still in clinical trials and is not FDA approved. Regeneron’s billionaire CEO has been a member at President Trump’s golf resort in Westchester, New York, and met with Trump in May. After the meeting, in July, Regeneron received $450 million in government funding as part of the Trump administration’s vaccine program known as “Operation Warp Speed.” Trump’s 2017 filing with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics shows Trump was invested in both Regeneron and Gilead Sciences — the maker of remdesivir, which Trump is also taking.