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Well. Isn't that special. A week ago the World Health Organization releases a large study and says that it is not effective against COVID: while it does show a bit of a reduction in the length of hospital stay it shows no reduction in mortality or in the use of ventilators. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves it for use.
The studies the FDA used - and they had access to the WHO studies - also show no reduction in mortality or ventilator use.
While I'd like to believe that the FDA is still largely driven by science, we have to face the fact that FDA top management is probably also driven by political concerns, i.e. appointed by Trump, and Trump needs any good news that he can get, and getting a drug approved for COVID treatment counts as a win.
Even if it isn't particularly effective.
The data are rather curious. It showed a 5-day course of the drug as being more effective than a 10-day course?! If I understood medical statistics, I'd consider digging in to it further.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/fda-approves-remdesivir-for-covid-19-but-global-study-finds-it-doesnt-work/
The studies the FDA used - and they had access to the WHO studies - also show no reduction in mortality or ventilator use.
While I'd like to believe that the FDA is still largely driven by science, we have to face the fact that FDA top management is probably also driven by political concerns, i.e. appointed by Trump, and Trump needs any good news that he can get, and getting a drug approved for COVID treatment counts as a win.
Even if it isn't particularly effective.
The data are rather curious. It showed a 5-day course of the drug as being more effective than a 10-day course?! If I understood medical statistics, I'd consider digging in to it further.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/fda-approves-remdesivir-for-covid-19-but-global-study-finds-it-doesnt-work/
