In the Press...
Monmouth Musings Article'Congressman Chris Smith asks the White House to speed up COVID-19 treatments'Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ4) has asked The White House to approve treating suspected COVID-19 patients with approved “compassionate use” drug therapies prior to the COVID-19 test results being confirmed. Rep. Smith shared an email he sent to Ambassador Deborah Birx, MD, the Coordinator of The White House Coronavirus Task Force, exclusively with MMM:
Smith told MMM that in a follow up phone call with Dr. Birx, she assured him that she would explore whether “compassionate use” of remdesivir or and any other drug like chloroquine can be expanded if the attending physician makes a clinical diagnosis that the patient is suffering from COVID 19. Smith said that Dr. Birx is an extraordinary leader that he has worked on for many years in her capacity as the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Smith was the prime sponsor of the 2018 President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) 5 year, $30 billion reauthorization, on which he worked closely with Dr. Birx. Smith said that he is concerned that public and private labs could be overwhelmed as COVID-19 tests become available, including at the PNC Arts Center next week. Allowing doctors to treat their patients with remdesivir, chloroquine, or other promising therapies, prior to test results being confirmed, could prevent the additional tragic loss of life. This article was originally published March 21, 2020 and can be found online at: http://www.moremonmouthmusings.net/2020/03/21/congressman-chris-smith-asks-the-white-house-to-speed-up-covid-19-treatments/#more-45994 |