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FDA Walks Back Claim of Big Benefit From Covid Therapy

  • Drugs commissioner says he misspoke about plasma’s efficacy
  • Past FDA commissioners criticize presentation of data
Bloomberg business news
Watch: Harvard Global Health Institute Director Dr. Ashish Jha says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's confirmation that an Emergency Use Authorization was granted for the use of Covid-19 convalescent plasma for the treatment of hospitalized patients doesn't seem to be grounded in science.(Source: Bloomberg)
Corrected

The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration walked back his claim that an experimental therapy had provided a dramatic benefit to Covid-19 patients, a rare reversal for an agency that has prided itself on rock-solid science and public trust.

On Sunday night at a press conference with President Donald Trump, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said that blood plasma from Covid-19 survivors given to new patients could save huge numbers of lives.