That is an absurd question. If someone felt that they were on their deathbed and another person said, here is a drug that some people have found effective, do you want it, of course most people would take it. "There are no atheists in foxholes". That is a different question than, should it be hospital/medical policy to administer a drug for which there is only anedotal evidence that it actually works on this disease? Should there be widespread use of this drug?
Why not use this drug (see below), developed in Japan? Why has the drug that Trump touted gotten so much publicity in this country but the one developed in Japan, which has gone through clinical trials, has not? And there are other possible treatments out there which various companies are working on. In addition of course to at least 15 companies and government sponsored research agencies working on possible vaccines.
Japanese flu drug 'clearly effective' in treating coronavirus, says China
Shares in Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, which developed favipiravir, surged after praise by Chinese official following clinical trials
Medical authorities in China have said a drug used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza appeared to be effective in coronavirus patients, Japanese media said on Wednesday.
Zhang Xinmin, an official at China’s science and technology ministry, said favipiravir, developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm, had produced encouraging outcomes in clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen involving 340 patients.
“It has a high degree of safety and is clearly effective in treatment,” Zhang told reporters on Tuesday.
Patients who were given the medicine in Shenzhen turned negative for the virus after a median of four days after becoming positive, compared with a median of 11 days for those who were not treated with the drug, public broadcaster NHK said.
continues at theguardian.com |
