Trump announces FDA making experimental drugs available immediately to tackle coronavirus
Trump signs bill to guarantee sick leave for workers
President Trump signs Senate bill to guarantee sick leave for workers who fall ill during the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump announced Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making experimental drugs — including those used for treating malaria — available as part of the ongoing effort to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.
Trump announced at a White House press briefing that chloroquine, a drug designed for use in malaria, has been FDA approved and will be made available by prescription «almost immediately.» He said it was one of a number of antiviral therapies to limit the symptoms of the virus that the administration is trying to get to Americans as quickly as possible.
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“I have directed the FDA to eliminate rules and bureaucracy so work can proceed rapidly, quickly and fast,” he said. «We have to remove every barrier.”
Addressing potential safety concerns, Trump noted that it had been used previously in treating malaria, “so we know if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody.” He said it had shown «very encouraging» early results
He also said another drug, remdesivir, would be made available to Americans as well. He said it would remain to be seen whether it would help combat the crisis.
“I think it could be a game-changer, and maybe not,” he said.
It’s the latest aggressive move by the administration as it seeks to stop both the spread of the virus, and also curb the economic havoc caused by the closing of much of American daily life as businesses and schools have shuttered to stop infections. Trump described a “relentless effort to defeat the Chinese virus.”
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Thursday’s press conference comes a day after he announced he was invoking the Defense Production Act, which would streamline production of medical supplies to help the country battle the coronavirus pandemic and require businesses to sign contracts or fulfill orders deemed necessary for national defense. He has not yet used the powers invoged in it, however.
Meanwhile, the administration has been working with Congress on a nearly $1 trillion stimulus package to reinvigorate the U.S. economy and to provide relief to businesses and workers who have been hit hardest by the crisis.
Trump on Wednesday signed the second coronavirus relief bill into law that provides paid sick leave, unemployment help and free testing to Americans.
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On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence said that the administration has «identified tens of thousands» of ventilators that can be converted to treat coronavirus patients.
Meanwhile, Surgeon General Jerome Adams called on young people to consider giving blood «today» to help combat the coronavirus.
