Trump to announce emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as 'breakthrough' covid-19 treatmen

[brooklynite]

Last edited Sun Aug 23, 2020, 05:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Washington Post

On the eve of the Republican National Convention where President Trump hopes to revive his flagging political fortunes, he will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for covid-19, a treatment that already has been given to more than 70,000 patients, according to officials familiar with the decision.

In a tweet late Saturday night, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the announcement at 5:30 p.m. Sunday involved “a major therapeutic breakthrough on the China virus.” Officials confirmed on Sunday the treatment is convalescent plasma; they spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue. The White House declined comment.

Many scientists and physicians believe that convalescent plasma might provide some benefit but is far from a breakthrough. It is rich in antibodies that could be helpful in fighting the coronavirus, but the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed. On CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the blood product — derived from patients who have survived covid-19 — is “probably beneficial” for covid-19 patients. The issuance of an emergency authorization would make it easier to get in some settings. But he also said it already is widely available, so the change would be “incremental.”

The announcement comes as Trump has put extraordinary pressure on federal agencies to test and approve treatments and, especially, a vaccine against the novel coronavirus which has already killed more than 170,000 Americans. The president’s political advisers believe that having a vaccine by Election Day is key to his prospects for winning.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/23/trump-convalescent-plasma-okay/

[CurtEastPoint]

1. They NEVER pass up a chance to say that goddamn 'china' virus. Fuckers.

[LizBeth]

2. Don't we already know this and know they have been working on this and nothing new?

[Nexus2]

12. Hasn't it already been employed thousands of times?

[DeminPennswoods]

18. Yes, but,iirc, the EUA was pulled

Fauci and others at CDC/FDA felt it wasn't proven to be effective enough based on a study of 60,000 done by U of Illinois(?).

TBH, I was surprised at this action because Americans who had been infected were asked to donate plasma, some mutliple times. I don't think docs or hospitals would've been using it if they felt it wasn't at least somewhat effective. If it only saves a low percent of lives, I'm sure the families of those survivors are grateful.

[dweller]

3. why would anyone need

his authorization?

it's already in use, he deserves no credit whatsoever


✌🏼

[Nexus2]

16. Well...

it's already in use, he deserves no credit whatsoever

It works for him with economy.

[Docreed2003]

4. Smoke and Mirrors

Take something that is already in use and showing some efficacy and make a grandiose statement suggesting that you're making it more readily available without any documentation that your statement will have any effect at all. Typical Trumpian bullshit.

[LisaL]

21. Not clear if it shows any efficacy.

NT

[onetexan]

22. spot on. Same way he touted hydrochloroquine - supposed magic drug that will make it go away.

[johnnyfins]

5. One desperate, orange, MFer

[Mike 03]

6. Then he'll announce an Emergency Authorization for aspirin. nt

[Iliyah]

7. Is this from the UK? . ..

If so, it's not a cure or even works . . .

[The Magistrate]

8. Hardly A Breakthrough, Sir

They were doing things like that even before antibiotics were in use.

It is, indeed, already in use in treating this plague.

If the cheap thug were baited properly, he could probably sputter that it's a good thing ever increasing numbers are infected, because it makes more serum available, and so he's done a great job by seeing to the unchecked spread of the disease....

[soothsayer]

9. Plohs-muh

[Thekaspervote]

10. OH dotard isn't going to be happy with that pronouncement..I see a firing coming

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Thanks, I'll seek medical advice from a doctor rather than a con man /nt

[bbernardini]

13. Where did he get this one from, Ron Popeil? nt

[keithbvadu2]

14. Only a 'treatment'? Not a vaccine or cure like hydroxychloroquine?

Only a 'treatment'? Not a vaccine or cure like hydroxychloroquine?

How mundane!

[BlueStater]

17. "China virus"

This is the most immature White House that has ever had the extreme misfortune of representing this country.

[SunSeeker]

19. Convalescent plasma is old news. This presser is just a dog & pony show for the GOP convention.

And the media was more than happy to ablige with plenty of free airtime and breathless reporting.

[catrose]

20. I am not feeling reassured that T45 is calling the shots on treatments

Some actual science would be good, not just the FDA doing what he wants.

[still_one]

23. This is not a breakthrough therapeutic treatment

[SunSeeker]

27. It is definitely not a silver bullet. Small early studies indicated no benefit.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/no-benefit-convalescent-plasma-covid-19-patients-study-finds

However, a small preliminary study released in May found that the death rate of those infused with survivor plasma was about half that of similar patients who did not receive the plasma. And that spurred plasma donations, including, most famously, by Tom Hanks. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/05/27/tom-hanks-donates-plasma-combat-covid-19-and-shares-photo/5271559002/

There are now 162 prospective studies and several more observational studies, but only six meet the standard that could produce actionable results. There is no randomized clinical trial data yet, but some of those trials are ongoing.

Even if this approach does work, convalescent plasma has limitations.

"There's a limited donor pool -- it goes away as an epidemic wanes," Woodcock said. "It is not a standardized intervention and requires a blood type match for administration, which can be problematic in many settings."


https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/23/health/covid-19-convalescent-plasma-eua-white-house/index.html

[vsrazdem]

24. This has been standard for quite some time with patients with severe symptoms.

There is nothing breaking about it at all, except perhaps the fact that the plasma is now getting low and doctors have to be more selective with treatment. Standard current treatment is remdesivir, convalescent plasma and dexamethasone.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

25. Let him do it. The next 24 hours of cable news will be interviews of doctors and pundits

examining the what his announcement meant medically, politically, and whether he was really telling the truth that it's new or was it just something he could do pre-convention.

In other words, it's going to suck up the air which could have been used to discuss the convention itself. I think his con is going to blow up in his face.

[progressive nobody]

26. But they have been collecting and giving plasma already.

Am I missing something or is he claiming a treatment that has already been in effect?

[SunSeeker]

28. Yep. There's billboards along the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles asking for convalescent plasma.

Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson famously donated convalescent plasma months ago. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/05/27/tom-hanks-donates-plasma-combat-covid-19-and-shares-photo/5271559002/

[turbinetree]

29. The asshole was still Impeached and the asshole has over 175,000 deaths on his watch and

still climbing................Fuck him and that GD horse he rides.............called the republican party................

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough....................vote.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

30. FDA authorizes plasma treatment despite scientists' objections

TThe Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for blood plasma as a coronavirus treatment, the agency and President Donald Trump announced Sunday — one day after Trump attacked the drug regulator for moving too slowly to back the treatment.

The agency held off on the decision last week over concerns from government scientists that evidence for the treatment's effectiveness is thin, prompting Trump to accuse the FDA of slow-walking the therapy to harm his reelection chances without offering any evidence to support his claim. It is not clear whether the FDA has received additional clinical trial data in the last week that would support the therapy's use.

Trump in a brief Sunday evening news conference appeared to oversell the FDA's assessment, claiming the agency found plasma "safe and very effective." The agency itself said more rigorous study is needed to prove whether the treatment effective. Janet Woodcock, the head of FDA's drug division who is now working on Operation Warp Speed, an interagency effort to accelerate coronavirus treatments and vaccines, on Friday told POLITICO that plasma has not been "proven as an effective treatment."

Trump also returned to his recent accusations that government scientists were holding up potential coronavirus treatments for political reasons. "We broke the logjam over the last week," he said. "I think there are people in the FDA and actually in [the larger health] department that can see things being held up."

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/23/plasma-treatment-coronavirus-fda-trump-400390

[Larissa]

31. Jim Acosta's Twitter Feed

Acosta: "Trump cut news conference short. Tried to ask Dr. Hahn if he was under political pressure to issue this EUA for conv. plasma. He didn't answer."

Reading Acosta's feed, someone had to help me stand up due to fit of convulsive laughter. Maybe an internal glow stick would help. Carry on.