Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said he “firmly” rejects President Donald Trump’s assertion that there was a slow-walk of coronavirus treatments to hold back his reelection.
In an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” Gottlieb said the Food and Drug Administration does “what’s best for the public health.”
“I firmly reject the idea that they would slow walk anything or accelerate anything for that matter, based on any kind of political consideration and any consideration other than what's best for the public health and a real sense of mission to patients,” he declared.
"When it comes to regulatory decision-making in that agency, it's a foundational truth that will guide that agency as science and a deeply seated sense of public health mission that permeates that agency,” he added. “It's a part of the esprit de corps of the staff of that agency. And I know that they know the urgency of the moment.”
According to Gottlieb, the FDA was correct in being careful with an evaluation of plasma trials for COVID-19 treatment.
“I think the FDA is on firm ground taking their time to try to closely evaluate that information,” he said — adding he believes emergency use authorization for plasma will be what the president will reveal Sunday night.
“More than 70,000 patients have been dosed with that,” he said. “So it's available. What the emergency use authorization will allow is probably more commercial distribution, and it will allow manufacturers of plasma products to more easily recoup the costs….it is a good therapeutic to have in the overall armamentarium. But the bottom line is it's widely available right now, patients are getting it.”
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