The Food and Drug Administration will pull out all the stops when it comes to approving treatments for COVID-19, President Donald Trump said Thursday, but it is unclear what policy changes are being pursued outside of the agency’s existing procedures.
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the agency hoped that drugs already approved for other uses might be safe and effective in treating the novel coronavirus, and he encouraged doctors to consider the FDA’s “compassionate use” process to treat patients with experimental products.
The FDA didn’t reply to questions about Trump’s comments that potential treatments would be made available “almost immediately” or how data collected in foreign countries might inform the FDA’s decisions. Continue reading.