For the last couple of weeks, President Trump has been frequently talking up the use of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, in order to treat coronavirus. While the drug has been approved for off-label usage, the efficacy of the drug in terms of the treatment for coronavirus is a topic of significant disagreement among physicians and researchers.

It's highly unusual for an elected official to repeatedly advocate for a specific treatment for a specific disease, so some have speculated as to whether the president has some unexplained angle.

A New York Times story earlier this week mentioned that Trump holds a small financial stake in Sanofi, the French drugmaker that produces the brand name version of hydroxychloroquine. However, the drug is off-patent, meaning Sanofi is unlikely to profit, while Trump's stake, held in mutual funds through family trusts, is likely only worth between the low hundreds and the low thousands of dollars.

Now, there's another story about Trump and hydroxychloroquine--and it involves a Trump donor with the wonderful name Joseph Pizza.

Mr. Pizza is not in the pizza business, but rather pharmaceuticals. According to a report by the web publication Sludge, Pizza is the CEO of Interchem, described as "a U.S. sales representative for companies from around the world that produce active pharmaceutical ingredients." Interchem sells hydroxychloroquine sulfate.

Pizza, while not a previously well-known figure, is a major donor to Trump's campaign and to pro-Trump super PACs. He's also known to frequent Maralargo, the president's private club at Palm Beach, and his wife, Lauren Pizza, once wrote that Trump sang "Happy Birthday" to her at the club. The Pizzas reside in Palm Beach.

Sludge reported earlier in the week that a group called the Job Creators Network, which gets some funding from the pharmaceutical industry, has been lobbying the president to  “cut the red tape” and increase the availability of hydroxychloroquine.

There were many social media jokes about the story, primarily centering on Pizza's name. It also turns out that he has a past as a musician- he performed in the band Muffin, along with his childhood friend  Ron Mannino, and Pizza has written over 200 songs. Pizza and Mannino later became cofounders of Interchem Corporation. Pizza is also a supporter of the arts, and per his bio, was an investor in the hit Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen."

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons.