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With the coronavirus or COVID-19 situation in the United States growing worse by the day, lawmakers are all pushed to working together in order to keep the situation under control. Recently, President Donald Trump said that he wants to get rid of the “red tape” and bring in the coronavirus drugs faster to the people.
Politico reports that in an attempt to bring treatment for coronavirus faster to the infected people, Trump is planning to get rid of the red tape “like nobody’s ever done before.” The President instructed the Food and Drug Administration to fast forward the authorization of the drugs needed. However, he did not disclose any details and instead, along with other health officials, noted the steps that the government has taken as of late to start the clinical trials of potential treatments for coronavirus.
Trump also suggested some programs that the administration can utilize to get experimental drugs to those affected as soon as possible outside the clinical trials. One of those approaches was the “Right to Try” which was established after a 2018 law that both Trump and vice president Mike Pence supported to help those who have no treatment options.
However, that suggestion was met with some skepticism from experts, who feel that the Right to Try approach would only induce false hope in patients and that there are other ways to help people access experimental medicines. Fortunately, Gilead has already provided its antiviral drug called remdesivir to patients with coronavirus under compassionate use rules. This drug was mentioned by Trump and added the drugs that were used to treat malaria, hydroxychloroquine, and chloroquine, may be helpful in combating the virus, but more information is needed.
Meanwhile, the outcome of the coronavirus response package being prepared by lawmakers in both the House and Senate would now rest in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, with the Senate taking up “Phase 3” of an economic stimulus package that would be able to keep the economy afloat. The country’s economy wound up on the rocks due to the pandemic, with the stock market seeing a drastic drop in numbers, leading to a crisis.
McConnell and Schumer have not seen eye to eye on many issues, but this “Phase 3” coronavirus response package will have to reach a bipartisan agreement for it to pull through.
