SICK: Nevada Governor Bans Chloroquine for Coronavirus Patients

Steve Sisolak

Well, this takes the COVID-19 authoritarian prize at a time there is extreme authoritarian competition.

Nevada’s governor, Democratic Steve Sisolak, on Tuesday banned the use of the drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus patients, reports The New York Post.

Sisolak said there was no consensus among experts or Nevada doctors that the drugs can successfully treat people with COVID-19.


His order also limits a prescription of the medicines — which are also used to treat illnesses like lupus and arthritis — to a 30-day supply to ensure it’s available for “legitimate medical purposes” and so people don’t stockpile the drug.

So the power freak has completely taken the decision about treatment out of the hands of doctor and patient in what could be a life or death situation. He will make the decision and the decision is that the drug shall not be used despite indications that the drug is a sound treatment.

Consider this:

Drs. Jianjun Gao1, Zhenxue Tian and Xu Yang write in a new paper titled, Breakthrough: Chloroquine phosphate has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia in clinical studies :

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus is spreading rapidly, and scientists are endeavoring to discover drugs for its efficacious treatment in China. Chloroquine phosphate, an old drug for treatment of malaria, is shown to have apparent efficacy and acceptable safety against COVID-19 associated pneumonia in multicenter clinical trials conducted in China. The drug is recommended to be included in the next version of the Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Pneumonia Caused by COVID-19 issued by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China for treatment of COVID-19 infection in larger populations in the future.

From FOX News:

Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that “the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] is approving off-label use for the [anti-malarial drug] hydroxychloroquine right now" to help coronavirus patients.

Pence made the comment during Fox News’ virtual coronavirus town hall in response to a question from Dr. Mehmet Oz about the drug, which has shown encouraging signs in small, early tests. A similar drug, Chloroquine has also showed positive signs.

Dr. Oz noted that “the FDA appropriately desires randomized critical trials for proof to guide the medical community,” but asked the vice president how the clinical trials can be accelerated “while also satisfying the demand from physicians, front-line doctors, who want to use these pills for their patients and themselves?”

In response, Pence said, “The good news is, the chloroquine medication, we actually deployed in the state of New York resources to be able to be administered to the people.”

New York has reported more than 25,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and 210 deaths, the most in the U.S., according to data compiled by Fox News.

“Doctors can prescribe that medication, which as you know is a perfectly legal and approved malaria medication," Pence told Dr. Oz,  "but doctors can now prescribe chloroquine for that off-label purpose of dealing with the symptoms of coronavirus. We are making that clear across the country."...

“The president’s very optimistic, he’s very hopeful that some of these anecdotal results that we’ve seen around the country will prove out to be true,” Pence said on Tuesday. “I want to assure you, there is no barrier to access the chloroquine in this country. We’re working to add to that supply even as we speak.”

He went on to say that the Trump administration is working with companies that produce vast amounts of chloroquine, adding that at the same time “we are engaging in a clinical trial while we make this broadly available for off-label use. Because we do want to take the opportunity, we are doing that in New York state, to study the results of this so that we can better understand the impact going forward.”

Dr. Oz also asked Pence if he would “take these pills” if he felt sick.

“I would follow the advice of my physician and I would recommend that approach to every single American,” the vice president said in response.

From The New York Times:

An online platform designed by Oracle, in collaboration with the White House, is still taking shape, but it is likely to be used to collect information about off-label use of the drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus...

 Dr. David B. Agus, a professor of medicine and engineering at the University of Southern California, who is working with the White House and Oracle, according to senior officials... 

Dr. Agus, a CBS News medical correspondent, has campaigned for the drugs over the past week, saying on television that “the earlier you use them, the better.”

To be sure more detailed studies need to be conducted to determine the true effectiveness of chloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 but if you are on a respirator with little hope, why wouldn't you try chloroquine?

Except now you can't in Nevada thanks to the sadistic authoritarian Steve Sisolak.

  RW