[U: For FDA Statement.] More Theatrics -- Trump's Abuse Of The Esteemed FDA...

UPDATED, after Trump presser — the FDA weighs in on Sunday night, thus: “. . .The FDA continues to recommend that the designs of ongoing randomized clinical trials of COVID-19 convalescent plasma. . . remain unaltered, as COVID-19 convalescent plasma does not yet represent a new standard of care based on the current available evidence. . . .” End, update.

I will say very little about this, since it really won't change things much. And even with 70,000 patients in the trial, it is not immensely clear that the benefit is. . . durable. But there is a statistically significant benefit, based on early data.

So this gets added to a now-emerging suite of approaches -- but it is no game changer. We may confidently predict that Trump will... lie about it, vastly overstating its importance -- primarily to boost his own increasingly fragile ego, as he enters a lack-luster convention week. Here it is, as the Wa Po captures it, in real time:

. . .On the eve of the Republican National Convention where President Trump hopes to revive his flagging political fortunes, he will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for covid-19, a treatment that already has been given to more than 70,000 patients, according to officials familiar with the decision. . . .

Y A W N. I do support finding the sweet-spots, in therapy -- for this scourge, but I oppose the president's political hectoring -- about it all. Onward.

नमस्ते