Trump announced at today’s press conference that the FDA has approved the use of Chloroquine, a drug that fights Malaria, for use against coronavirus:
TRUMP: The FDA has approved Chloroquine to be prescribed to help treat Coronavirus.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 19, 2020
Here’s more from Daily Caller:
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has directed Federal Drug Administration commissioner Stephen Hahn to waive “outdated rules and bureaucracies” on the testing of various “anti-viral therapies” to combat coronavirus.
Trump noted that the vaccine pursued by the National Institutes of Health and other medical bodies, “by its nature” requires lengthy testing periods.
“The therapies are something we can move on much faster potentially,” he continued, “treatments that will be able to reduce the severity or duration of the symptoms.”
In particular, the president pointed to a “couple of drugs” the FDA is approving for “immediate use,” including hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that has shown promise in battling coronavirus.
“It’s shown very encouraging early results, and we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately,” the president stated. “And that’s where the FDA. has been so great.”
Trump added that the FDA “has also confirmed compassionate use for a number of patients.”
The president added that the White House task force and private companies will still “work toward a much needed vaccine in the future.”
I don’t believe Trump mentioned the drug that fights HIV, at least by name. But hopefully they’re working on that drug as well. Perhaps it needs a bit more testing that Chloroquine.