During today’s press briefing from the White House, the Coronavirus Task Force focused on steps taken by the FDA to find safe and effective treatments for those affected by COVID-19. Dr. Stephen Hahn, the FDA Commissioner, described the FDA’s efforts to cut through red tape and provide regulatory flexibility while also ensuring that the treatments and health care products are safe and effective. Because of these efforts, a potential vaccine is already in clinical trials, but Dr. Hahn cautioned that it would still take approximately one year for a vaccine to be available.
In the short term, the FDA is conducting clinical trials to determine whether any drugs that have been approved for other infectious diseases may be effective as anti-viral therapies to treat COVID-19. The FDA is hoping, in the near future, to have the ability to approve effective anti-vial therapy to assist in the treatment of those individuals affected by COVID-19.
For the current time being, the US Surgeon General has asked that anyone who is healthy, especially younger people, consider making an appointment to donate blood, as blood centers are in need of donations.
Rebecca Kleber