South Dakota implements statewide hydroxychloroquine clinical trial for potential coronavirus treatment https://www.foxnews.com/politics/so...uine-clinical-trial-for-coronavirus-treatment South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday announced a statewide clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine for the possible treatment of COVID-19, making her state the first in the country to institute a program exploring the potential effectiveness of the drug in treating and preventing coronavirus. “From Day One, I’ve said we’re going to let the science, facts and data drive our decision-making in South Dakota,” Noem said in a statement provided to Fox News. Noem, a Republican, announced the “comprehensive” clinical trial Monday after communicating with White House officials in the last week to “let them know that South Dakota’s medical community was ready to step up and lead the way on research efforts." “I made direct requests to President Trump and Vice President Pence to supply us with enough hydroxychloroquine so that it could be made available for every hospitalized person the state may have, as well as those for health care workers on the frontlines and those in the most vulnerable populations,” Noem said. The governor said South Dakota has received doses of hydroxychloroquine to begin the trial. “Today, I’m pleased to report we have received the initial doses we need, and thanks to the leadership of Sanford Health and the assistance of medical teams at Avera and Monument Health, we’re going to be the first state in the nation to do a comprehensive clinical trial to assess whether hydroxychloroquine can treat and perhaps even prevent COVID-19,” she said. Sanford Health is the largest provider of rural health care in the country, according to Noem. With the help of Avera and Monument Health, they will treat “up to 100,000 people including outpatient and hospitalized patients with COVID-19, in addition to frontline health care workers, and high-risk individuals who have been exposed to the virus.” “The health care community in South Dakota consistently works together with the state for the benefit of all our patients,” South Dakota Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said Monday. “I am excited patients across the state will have access to this drug, and we will learn more about its benefits in treating and even preventing COVID-19.” The drug has been a source of political controversy as President Trump has repeatedly touted it as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Critics of the president have pushed back by emphasizing that scientists have not yet determined whether the drug works or is safe in treating coronavirus. The effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine has been a source of debate within the medical community, with some warning it’s too soon to know if it’s an efficacious option in treating patients with the novel virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House coronavirus task force has urged caution when it comes to the drug. “We still need to do the definitive studies to determine whether any intervention, not just this one, is truly safe and effective,” Fauci recently said on Fox News. (More at above url)
It'll at least have a non-binding effect, as long as they do not follow that Brazilian study and OD the patients!
My thoughts on this is that MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS should drive clinical testing trials; politicians should not be "instituting" medical trials. This entire announcement comes off as a Republican governor attempting to kiss up to the federal executive government -- rather than doing something with a focus on what is best for the residents of her state. In other South Dakota news we should note that due to her failure to institute a "stay at home" order -- the state is now a hot spot. South Dakota’s governor resisted stay-at-home orders. Now it has one of the nation’s largest coronavirus hot spots. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/14/politics/what-matters-april-13/index.html