Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, Democrat, had a kneejerk reaction to President Trump's optimism about a malaria drug that might be an effective treatment for the Wuhan coronavirus. Trump was hopeful about the drug, so anti-Trump Democrats like Sisolak were against it. Gov. Sisolak banned (hydroxy)chloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, ostensibly over concern of hoarders stockpiling the medicine and causing shortages for patients who use the drug for other ailments like Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. But while the governor restricted the public from receiving the potentially life-saving drug, Nevada's Department of Corrections began stockpiling the drug for prisoners.
(Via 360 News Las Vegas)
According to sources at the drug maker, Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc, Nevada prisons ordered a large number of their anti-malaria Hydroxychloroquine drug under the name, Plaquenli. Nevada prisons has literally ZERO cases of prisoners infected with the COVID 19 virus to date. The Nevada Board of Pharmacies and the Governor claimed the rule barring doctors from prescribing the drug outside of hospitals was to stop hoarding. After Sisolak’s ban went into effect, the State Prison hoarded the drug in a mass just in case they had break out.
Gov. Sisolak refused to reverse his order even after the FDA issued an emergency order earlier this week approving the drug for use against COVID 19.
Unbelievable. And Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is no better. When reports that (hydroxy)chloroquine showed promising signs as a safe treatment for the coronavirus, and after President Trump expressed his optimism over the drug's efficacy, Whitmer moved immediately to block Michiganders from gaining access to the potentially life-saving treatment. Both governors cited concerns over shortages, but alternative medicines are available to treat lupus. And if they haven't noticed, we're kind of in the middle of a pandemic.
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Drugmakers have already ramped up production of (hydroxy)chloroquine in response to increased demand, and people still need a prescription from a doctor to obtain the medicine. The FDA has now issued emergency-use authorization of (hydroxy)chloroquine for COVID-19, so the focus at this point should be making more of this promising drug, not restricting its use amid a global pandemic for which we currently have no vaccine.
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