Donald Trump just announced his latest, desperate effort to convince the American people that he is doing something to stop the the coronavirus.
The big reveal came on Sunday night, only one day before the start of the Republican National Convention. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had just authorized emergency use of convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19.
Convalescent plasma is made from taking the antibodies from the blood of people who have already recovered from a coronavirus infection. The antibodies are purified and concentrated and put into the body of a new victim. The hope is then that the body uses these antibodies to fight the coronavirus.
Trump hails this decision of the FDA in his usual hyperbolically bloated, self congratulatory way, claiming that it is a “truly historic announcement in our battle against the China virus that will save countless lives.” And, “Today’s action will dramatically increase access to this treatment.”
Of course, Trump, and the Republicans see the use of coronavirus antibodies as some kind of miraculous new breakthrough. But there is strong suspicion that there is nothing really new or even very effective in using plasma to treat diseases.
People who really know and understand infectious disease are not impressed by convalescent plasma treatments. Dr. Dara Kass, who is an associate professor in emergency medicine at Columbia University squashes the idea that plasma is a breakthrough idea by noting that plasma has been used to treat infections for around for 100 years and that there is no breakthrough, even in using it for coronavirus treatments.
Dr Kass, and others, even doubt the veracity of the data and the effectiveness of the treatment. They think that the data was manipulated to make it looks as if there is a benefit to who are newly infected when it fact there wasn’t.
Moreover, they not only believe that there was political bullying of the FDA to pass the emergency authorization but there may also be the same bullying to authorize a vaccine. They noted that only 12 hours after the announcement of the emergency use authorization for plasma treatment that there may be the same thing with a vaccine. But, as Doctor Kass notes, “Vaccine has never been done this fast.”
Was the FDA bullied into granting an emergency use authorization? I have read some of the FDA’s Clinical Memorandum of Emergency Use Request for Covid-19. This is the publicly available document that explains the investigation behind the emergency authorization. And it looks as if Dr. Kass is right. The evidence supporting the authorization does not look strong. The historical test of the safety and efficacy don’t look impressive. And, there appear to be only two, recent, randomized studies (the best and most reliable kind) to support the claims of effectiveness: one done in the Netherlands and the other from … Wuhan, China. Again, they are not impressive.
Was the FDA bullied by Trump into making this announcement only one day before the Republican National Convention? Given Trump’s power-drunk bullying on immigration, law enforcement and everything else that can be done by Executive Power, I would say yes. Which means, you shouldn’t put much hope in stopping the Covid-19 carnage because of plasma treatment.
One final word. Back on August 10, in reviewing Trump’s announcement for his big Telehealth initiative, I pointed out that at one point the idea might have been useful. But the opportunity to exploit the advantages of telehealth medicine could not be realized because Trump and the Republicans never did anything to prepare the infrastructure for it .
To utilize plasma treatments you need medical infrastructure. You need lots of testing strips and other pieces of equipment, you need doctors and nurses and other personnel to test, and confirm, to acquire the plasma, to check for the antibodies, to store plasma, too administer the plasma, to do the follow up results and track it all. And of course, you need lots and lots of testing to find people who need the treatment. If treatment starts too late the antibodies are not going to help.
Isn’t it a pity that so many people do not have health insurance, and don’t get regular medical care? Trump and the Republicans have spent years chipping away at ObamaCare but never put anything in its place. And wouldn’t it have been nice if Trump had invested heavily in testing and tracing and stocking up on medical personnel and PPP supplies?
Almost 175,000 people are confirmed to have died of the coronavirus. And Trump’s latest “magic bullet” is just another desperate, last minute attempt to save himself.
If you want to get rid of the coronavirus and save people’s lives, vote for the democrats.