US FDA authorises blood plasma to treat Covid-19
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Washington — The Trump administration authorised emergency approval of a new coronavirus therapeutic treatment and is reportedly considering fast-tracking a vaccine developed in Britain, the day before the start of the Republican National Convention.
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on Sunday said it had authorised the use of blood plasma from patients who have recovered from Covid-19 as a treatment for the disease. The treatment had been given to more than 70,000 patients, the Washington Post reported, citing officials familiar with the decision.
A day before the FDA's announcement, Trump tagged the agency's commissioner, Stephen Hahn, in a tweet, saying: “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people to test the vaccines and therapeutics.
“Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”
The White House declined to comment on a report in the Financial Times that the administration is considering fast-tracking an experimental Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for use in the US ahead of the November 3 elections.
Trump is looking to boost his lagging poll numbers during the Republican convention this week, and progress in treatments or an effective vaccine to gain control of the virus would aid his re-election chances.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 1,006 to 175,651. It reported 5,643,812 cases, an increase of 45,265 cases from its previous count.
AstraZeneca denied having discussed an emergency use authorisation for its potential vaccine with the US government.
“AstraZeneca has not discussed emergency use authorisation with the US government and it would be premature to speculate on that possibility,” a spokesperson for AstraZeneca said in a statement.
The company said that the late-stage phase 2 and phase 3 trials for its vaccine candidate are still ongoing in Britain and other markets globally and that it did not expect efficacy results until later in 2020.
There are no approved vaccines for Covid-19, but AstraZeneca's shot, called AZD1222, is widely seen as one of the leading candidates.
Reuters
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on Sunday said it had authorised the use of blood plasma from patients who have recovered from Covid-19 as a treatment for the disease. The treatment had been given to more than 70,000 patients, the Washington Post reported, citing officials familiar with the decision.
A day before the FDA's announcement, Trump tagged the agency's commissioner, Stephen Hahn, in a tweet, saying: “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people to test the vaccines and therapeutics.
“Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”
The White House declined to comment on a report in the Financial Times that the administration is considering fast-tracking an experimental Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for use in the US ahead of the November 3 elections.
Trump is looking to boost his lagging poll numbers during the Republican convention this week, and progress in treatments or an effective vaccine to gain control of the virus would aid his re-election chances.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 1,006 to 175,651. It reported 5,643,812 cases, an increase of 45,265 cases from its previous count.
AstraZeneca denied having discussed an emergency use authorisation for its potential vaccine with the US government.
“AstraZeneca has not discussed emergency use authorisation with the US government and it would be premature to speculate on that possibility,” a spokesperson for AstraZeneca said in a statement.
The company said that the late-stage phase 2 and phase 3 trials for its vaccine candidate are still ongoing in Britain and other markets globally and that it did not expect efficacy results until later in 2020.
There are no approved vaccines for Covid-19, but AstraZeneca's shot, called AZD1222, is widely seen as one of the leading candidates.
Reuters
