Posted on 03/31/2020 1:55:22 PM PDT by mmichaels1970
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drew fire from some on the right after the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) sent a letter last week threatening "administrative action" against doctors who prescribed two experimental drugs that could potentially help coronavirus patients.
But the Whitmer administration has since removed the language threatening doctors from the letter and is now asking the federal government to send shipments of the drugs, Bridge magazine reports. The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for the antimalarial drugs hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate on Saturday.
Conservatives including Charlie Kirk and Rudy Guiliani accused Whitmer of risking lives to oppose President Donald Trump. In recent weeks, Whitmer and Trump have been sparring on national television over federal aid for Michigan, while Trump has touted the drugs' potential in treating COVID-19.
Apparently, Michigan's drug ban was all just a matter of miscommunication.
Days after LARA issued its first letter, The Detroit News published an op-ed that criticized the Whitmer administration’s prohibition of the drugs.
"Not only is our state’s top leader threatening the selfless health care workers who are on the frontline trying to save lives, but she’s denying possible life-saving medications to actual COVID-19 victims,” the op-ed said.
Some readers criticized the paper for irresponsibly advocating for untested drugs.
But Detroit News editor and publisher Gary Miles defended the column on Monday, pointing out that it revealed a miscommunication between the State Senate and the Governor.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Clarklake Republican, told The Detroit News that he asked the governor to issue the original letter to prevent people from hoarding the drugs and thus depriving non-coronavirus patients of their medicine.
"We needed something to prevent cloroquine from becoming the next toilet paper," he told Miles. "I quickly requested of her staff that they put something out, and somehow in the translation it was prohibiting use of these drugs — and that wasn't the intent."
Shirkey told Miles he "was grateful for your article ... because it was the first thing that alerted me that it was screwed up."
On Monday, Whitmer said in a press conference that the state wants to be "nimble" and is always updating its policies.
"We want to ensure that doctors have the ability to prescribe these medicines," she said. "We also want to make sure that the people who have prescriptions that predated COVID-19 have access to the medication they need. And so all of the work that we’ve done is trying to strike that balance."
In its approval letter, the FDA wrote that "[b]ased on the totality of scientific evidence available to FDA, it is reasonable to believe that chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate may be effective in treating COVID-19."
"When used under the conditions described in this authorization, the known and potential benefits of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate when used to treat COVID-19 outweigh the known and potential risks of such products," FDA Chief Scientist Denise M. Hinton wrote in the approval letter.
Whitmer also issued an executive order relaxing medical laws so personnel from out of state could help the state's overloaded hospitals treat coronavirus patients. The executive order also offers doctors additional protections for medical errors.
"If you're a health professional anywhere in America, Michigan needs you," Whitmer said in a video posted to her Twitter. "Detroit, Michigan needs you especially."
And what would you like with your crow, my dear?
“In Michigan it can truly be said there aint a dime’s worth of difference between the Republicans and the Marxocrats.”
Here’s hoping that will change soon.
Half Whitmer
Incompetence
She took a political beating by banning them. This is surrender but not to Trump, to her own state citizens.
Clinical trials need control groups (those with the placebos). Volunteers for the trial know this going in. AFAIK, there’s a protocol in place, whereby control group patients will be offered the drugs if their condition continues to worsen. I.e. they won’t be given fake medicine until the bitter end.
While I desperately want these drugs to work (double-whammy high-risk group for me), and I’m probably as close to outright panic as anyone — I still recognize the necessity of clinical trials. A two-track approach — trials (with volunteers) and allowing prescriptions in the meanwhile — works for me.
There are a great many serious questions remaining that can only be answered through clinical trials.
:: the FDA wrote...chloroquine phosphate..may be effective in treating COVID-19.” ::
Hold on there just one ding-ding minute Sparky!
It also appears that they are using placebos.
I’m sure they’ll wait till the lungs are a couple hours from failure before they administer the drugs.
Thank you.......but unfortunately she's taking it too seriously and the surrounding communities where I live are following suit.
Senior softball season is coming up in May and two local townships have told our league president that their softball diamonds will be closed for our practices............
Explanation given by the Clinton Township parks and rec dept: "The softballs used in our practices could become contaminated and passed on to all the participants"........Give me a frickin break!
This is beyond stupid and the longer it continues the more pissed off I become...........I have to stop at that.
Wow, MI went from 4th to 3rd in day...
In terms of deaths, MI is almost number two, just behind NJ...
WTG, #HalfWhitmer!
This gal should be impeached for poor decision making.
Carve out Detroit Metro and things look pretty good. Head to the UP before they blockade Big Mac.
Well, no matter what the numbers are, Jersey will always be “number 2”.
-h/t Chuck Barry
“But apparently, Michigan’s drug ban was all just a matter of miscommunication. “
nope ... that’s just a lie from the evil stream media spinning to protect Gov Halfwit who did in fact outlaw the use of the drugs for C-19; here’s the relevant language from her EO:
““Prescribing hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine without further proof of efficacy for treating COVID-19 or with the intent to stockpile the drug may create a shortage for patients with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or other ailments for which chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are proven
treatments. Reports of this conduct will be evaluated and may be further investigated for administrative action. Prescribing any kind of prescription must also be associated with medical documentation showing proof of the medical necessity and medical condition for which the patient is being treated. Again, these are drugs that have not been proven scientifically or medically to treat COVID-19.”
She knows it works thats why..and she knows her political career is OVER if people die in her state because they did not get these treatments
What if someone flat out wants the drug and does not want to wait until there lungs are damaged. Do you think that in America that person should have the right to try? Flat out with no nonsense.
What about those who don’t live in NYC, but live in NY? Maybe they can’t get in a trial at all. Or maybe the trials are full. Gee that’s too bad. Sucks to be you.
What I am not sure of is if the most recent declaration by the Federal government means that the drug can now be used by any doctor for this virus in NY. The thing with modern legal language is that it is worded vaguely so that authorities can interpret it in any way they wish. And that is exactly what they do. So one reads Cuomo’s EO and attempts to define it. But a different interpretation of any word can change what it means.
And as far as I know then NO ONE in the media has even asked the question about how the recent FDA deceleration has changed things in NY.
I loved how the president Called her. ” half wit “ the other day during the news conference
“Sorry Gretch, you made your bed now die in it.”
Yeah, we should punish the people because you don’t like what the governor did. Good thinking.
She tried to undermine Trump after his SOTU address by giving the Democrats response..She’s a Pelosi wannabe , career public servant with no common sense. She thought Trump would fail on his Chloroquine opinions...Lame stream will cover for her...
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