March 28, 2024

‘This Is A Major Advance’ — Trump Announces FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization For Convalescent Plasma Treatment

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President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma in treating patients with coronavirus, expanding access to a potentially lifesaving therapy.

OLD FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 20: U.S. President Donald J. Trump speaks at his campaign rally on August 20, 2020 in Old Forge, Pennsylvania. President Trump is campaigning in the battleground state of Pennsylvania near the hometown of former Vice President Joe Biden, hours before Biden will accept the Democratic Presidential nomination on the last day of the Democratic National Convention. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

OLD FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 20: U.S. President Donald J. Trump speaks at his campaign rally on August 20, 2020 in Old Forge, Pennsylvania. President Trump is campaigning in the battleground state of Pennsylvania near the hometown of former Vice President Joe Biden, hours before Biden will accept the Democratic Presidential nomination on the last day of the Democratic National Convention. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“Today I’m pleased to make a truly historic announcement in our battle against the China virus that will save countless lives,” he told reporters gathered in the White House briefing room. “The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization and that’s such a powerful term, emergency use authorization for a treatment known as convalescent plasma.”

The treatment involves injecting coronavirus patients with the liquid portion of blood containing coronavirus antibodies, and Trump urged any Americans who were diagnosed with coronavirus “to go to Coronavirus.gov and sign up and donate plasma today.” (RELATED: What Happens If A Coronavirus Vaccine Is Deliverable Before The Election?)

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Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar noted that the therapy is most effective in patients recently diagnosed with coronavirus and that the treatment itself proved a 35% mortality rate reduction in patients under 80 who were not already using a ventilator.

“I just want to emphasize this point because I don’t want you to gloss over this number,” he reiterated. “We dream in drug development of something like a 35% mortality reduction. This is a major advance in the treatment of patients. This is a major advance.”

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Throughout the press conference, Trump and Azar both additionally talked about the progress the administration’s Operation Warp Speed has made toward developing vaccine candidates to combat coronavirus.

This post originally appeared on and written by:
Christian Datoc
The Daily Caller 2020-08-23 22:29:00

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