Dresden wrote:Associated Press
FDA chief apologizes for overstating plasma effect on virus
MATTHEW PERRONE and DEB RIECHMANN
August 25, 2020,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to an outcry from medical experts, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Tuesday apologized for overstating the life-saving benefits of treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma.
Scientists and medical experts have been pushing back against the claims about the treatment since President Donald Trump’s announcement on Sunday that the FDA had decided to issue emergency authorization for convalescent plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and rich in disease-fighting antibodies.
Trump hailed the decision as a historic breakthrough even though the treatment’s value has not been established. The announcement on the eve of Trump’s Republican National Convention raised suspicions that it was politically motivated to offset critics of the president's handling of the pandemic.
Hahn had echoed Trump in saying that 35 more people out of 100 would survive the coronavirus if they were treated with the plasma. That claim vastly overstated preliminary findings of Mayo Clinic observations.
Hahn's mea culpa comes at a critical moment for the FDA which, under intense pressure from the White House, is responsible for deciding whether upcoming vaccines are safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.
The 35% figure drew condemnation from other scientists and some former FDA officials, who called on Hahn to correct the record.
“I have been criticized for remarks I made Sunday night about the benefits of convalescent plasma. The criticism is entirely justified. What I should have said better is that the data show a relative risk reduction not an absolute risk reduction,” Hahn tweeted.
as with hydroxychloroquine, when public officials trumpet (pardon the pun) unproven treatments, it becomes harder to conduct clinical trials. because you're requiring sick people to sign up for something where they might be getting a placebo. but unlike w/ hydroxychloroquine, i wouldn't think there would be potential adverse affects w/ plasma
europe (spain in particular) experiencing a 2nd wave a month after the US did
s korea closing schools in metro seoul due to outbreak
british government paying half the bill for those who eat at restaurants monday thru wednesday
