GOP State Politicos Push Quack COVID Cures

Republican state lawmakers in Colorado, Florida, Idaho, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia have proposed legislation that allows quack doctors to prescribe ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to prevent and treat Covid-19 which, despite pronouncements on Fox News and right-wing podcasts, they do not do. North Dakota and Tennessee have already passed such laws, even though:

” … those treatments have not proven effective at preventing or treating Covid and infectious disease experts see the bills as examples of right-wing lawmakers politicizing medicine – a trend that is increasing as the pandemic wears on in America in to its third year amid an increasingly fraught political atmosphere.

And so it goes with the latest suspect Covid-19 treatment that has become about more than just a drug, but rather about whether to trust established public health organizations or doctors who stray from their guidelines, and podcast and cable news hosts.”

— “Concern as Republicans push to make dubious Covid cure prescriptions easier,” Eric Berger, The Guardian

More:

“Republicans Are Changing State Medical Board Rules So It’s Easier For Doctors To Prescribe Hydroxychloroquine And Ivermectin,” Kadia Goba, BuzzFeed News

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Study: Hydroxychloroquine didn’t protect health care workers

President Donald Trump’s favorite COVID-19 preventing snake oil, Hydroxychloroquine, has been shown to be ineffective against the novel coronavirus in yet another medical study, this one involving health care workers.

More:

“Trump-touted hydroxychloroquine shows no benefit in COVID-19 prevention: study,” Reuters

“Hydroxychloroquine didn’t prevent Covid-19 among health care workers in new study,” Jacqueline Howard, CNN

“No Evidence That Hydroxychloroquine Can Prevent Covid-19, Concludes New Study,” Ed Cara, Gizmodo

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Trump Self-Prescribes Snake Oil

President Donald Trump, dissuaded from mainlining Lysol, has talked his doctor into giving him hydroxychloroquine in an effort to prevent COVID-19. “The hydroxy,” as the president calls it, is an anti-malarial drug with zero proven effect in preventing or treating COVID-19 infection, and the FDA has warned of its cardiovascular risks. As of this writing, we are unaware of any movement to revoke the medical license of Sean Conley, D.O., current Physician to the President, over this matter.

President Trump’s reasons for ignoring prevailing advice on the risks in taking hydroxychloroquine?

1. “You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it….”
2. “I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”
3. “I get a lot of positive calls about it.”
4. “What the hell have you got to lose?”

More:

“Despite FDA Caution, Trump Says He Is Taking Hydroxychloroquine As A Preventive,” Joe Palca, NPR News

“Trump’s stunning claim that he’s taking hydroxychloroquine could trigger a cascade of negative effects,’ Philip Bump, Washington Post

“Trump Takes Hydroxychloroquine, Does Not Understand How Science Works,” Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

“Trump Says He’s Taking Hydroxychloroquine, But He Also Lies Daily,” Peter Wade, Rolling Stone

Updates:

“Pence says he isn’t taking unproven hydroxychloroquine treatment for coronavirus that Trump takes,” Kevin Breuninger, CNBC

“Trump dismisses hydroxychloroquine study that undermines him as a ‘Trump enemy statement,’” aaron Rupar, Vox

“White House releases doctor’s note on Trump’s purported use of hydroxychloroquine,” Peter Weber, The Week 

“Hydroxychloroquine Isn’t a Joke It’s a Scandal,” Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo

“Antimalarial drug touted by President Trump is linked to increased risk of death in coronavirus patients, study says,” Ariana Eunjung Cha and Laurie McGinley, Washington Post

“Hydroxychloroquine: Trump’s Covid-19 ‘cure’ increases deaths, global study finds,” Sarah Boseley, The Guardian

 

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Snake Oil Salesman-In-Chief Fires Scientist

Dr. Rick Bright, a leading vaccine expert and director of the nation’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), was demoted after urging caution in the use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19. Previously, Donald Trump MD, the man who brought you Trump Vitamins, prescribed hydroxychloroquine as a miracle treatment for Coronavirus, due to his strong belief in the medical principle Infernum — quid amittere? (What the hell have you got to lose?). Dr. Bright says his dismissal was in retaliation for disagreeing with the president on the use of the malaria drug in treating coronavirus patients.

Doctor Trump was advised on hydroxychloroquine by some of the nation’s greatest medical minds: secret agent Rudy Guliani, economist Peter Navarro, software mogul Larry Ellison, TV quack Dr. Oz, Secretary of Slim Suits Jared Kushner, and Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity.  Another selling point may be that Didier Raoult, the French doctor whose discredited “study” of 7 patients started the whole hydroxychloroquine frenzy, bears a striking resemblance to the president’s pliant Park Avenue doc Harold Bornstein.

Now that he’s ousted vaccine developer Dr. Bright at BARDA, perhaps President Trump will replace him with another Labradoodle breeder.

A new study in Veterans Affairs hospitals found that hydroxychloroquine treatment kills more coronavirus patients than doing nothing. Fox News: Oops.

Meanwhile, South Dakota Governor and former beauty queen Kristi Noem launched a statewide hydroxychloroquine study. Perhaps she thinks South Dakotans aren’t dying fast enough.

More:

“Top Government Vaccine Expert Fired for Questioning Trump’s Fake Science,” Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

“Top vaccine expert says he was fired for resisting Trump on hydroxychloroquine,” David Smith, The Guardian

“Trump’s Firing of a Top Infectious-Disease Expert Endangers Us All,” Michael Specter, The New Yorker

“Anti-malarial drug Trump touted is linked to higher rates of death in VA coronavirus patients, study says,” Christopher Rowland, Washington Post

“How Hydroxychloroquine Became Conservative Media’s Coronavirus Miracle Drug,” Alex Shephard, The New Republic

God, Guns, Grits and Snake Oil

Now that Mike Huckabee has left Fox News, he’s financing his presidential campaign in an unconventional way.  He sent out an email pitch for a dubious diabetes cure based on ingredients found in cinnamon buns.

McDonnell Snake Oil Scandal

Maw & Paw McDonnell, former First Couple of the Old Dominion, have been indicted by a Federal grand jury of taking cash, luxury gifts and expensive vacations from a snake oil salesman while in office then lying about it, committing wire fraud, and obstructing the investigation into it. 12 of the 14 counts are punishable by up to 20 years and 2 for 30 years in prison, and there are fines of up to $1 million.

Mr. McDonnell has distinguished himself from other Virginia governors — Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Monroe — as the first in history to be indicted for his actions during his term in office. Of course he had help. Whist residing in Richmond’s historic Executive Mansion, Mrs. McDonnell actively endorsed and hawked the useless quack patent nostrums.

Arraignment in U.S. District Court in Richmond is scheduled for Friday. But whatever the legal outcome, the real scandal is that decent, affordable medical care is denied to many Virginians and other Americans but it’s perfectly legal to sell them worthless pseudo “healthcare” crap as long you call it a (wink-wink) “nutritional supplement.”