>>> THE DATA SHOWS THAT REMDESIVIR HAS A CLEAR-CUT
SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT IN
DIMINISHING THE TIME TO
RECOVERY.
RECOVERY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TIME TO
RECOVERY BEING SHORTER IN THE
REMDESIVIR ARM, IT WAS 11 DAYS
COMPARED TO 15 DAYS.
ALTHOUGH A 31% IMPROVEMENT
DOESN’T SEEM LIKE A KNOCKOUT
100%, IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT
PROOF OF CONCEPT.
BECAUSE WHAT IT HAS PROVEN IS
THAT A DRUG CAN BLOCK THIS
VIRUS.
VIRUS. >> OPTIMISM IN THE OVAL OFFICE
WITH THE PRESIDENT PRESENT, WE
SHOULD HASTEN TO POINT OUT, FROM
DR. FAUCI THERE TODAY ABOUT THIS
NEW STUDY ON THE DRUG
REMDESIVIR.
REMDESIVIR. THE "WASHINGTON POST" REPORTING
IT THIS WAY.
"THE DRUG MUST BE GIVEN
INTRAVENOUSLY OVER 5 TO 10 DAYS
AND THE TRIAL RESULTS ONLY APPLY
TO HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS."
THOSE ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT
DETAILS FOR EVERYBODY TO
REMEMBER.
REMEMBER. TODAY DR. FAUCI COMPARED THIS
NEW TREATMENT TO AN EARLY DRUG
IN THE FIGHT HE WAS A BIG PART
OF AGAINST AIDS.
>> WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THIS
DATA WITH OUR TEAM THE OTHER
NIGHT, IT WAS REMINISCENT OF 34
YEARS AGO, IN 1986, WHEN WE WERE
STRUGGLING FOR DRUGS FOR HIV.
AND WE DID THE FIRST RANDOMIZED
PLACEBO CONTROL TRIAL WITH AZT,
WHICH TURNED OUT TO GIVE AN
EFFECT THAT WAS MODEST.
BUT THAT WAS NOT THE ENDGAME
BECAUSE BUILDING ON THAT EVERY
YEAR AFTER WE DID BETTER AND
BETTER.
BETTER. >> BACK WITH US AGAIN TONIGHT,
DR. IRWIN RED LEHNER, A
PEDIATRIC PHYSICIAN, PROFESSOR
WITH THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, ALSO
HAPPENED TO BE THE DIRECTOR OF
COLUMBIA’S NATIONAL CENTER FOR
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS WITH AN
EXPERTISE IN PANDEMIC INFLUENZA.
AND DR. ANN RAMOYN BACK WITH US,
PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AT
UCLA WHERE SHE RUNS THE CENTER
FOR GLOBAL AND IMMIGRANT HEALTH
SPECIALIZING IN EMERGING
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES. GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO YOU
BOTH.
BOTH. DR. REDLENNER, I’LL BEGIN WITH
YOU.
YOU. REMDESIVIR, WHICH WE HASTEN TO
POINT OUT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED
FOR THIS USE, WE ALSO HASTEN TO
POINT OUT THOSE COMMENTS WERE IN
THE VICINITY OF THE PRESIDENT.
SO THESE DAYS NO MATTER WHO THE
EXPERT IS IT CAN OFTEN COLOR THE
WORDING USED.
WORDING USED. AND I WISH WE DIDN’T HAVE TO
POINT THAT OUT.
BUT WE DO.
WITH THAT WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THIS DEVELOPMENT?
THIS DEVELOPMENT? >> YEAH, HI, BRIAN.
SO I’M A BIG FAN OF DR. FAUCI’S.
I NEVER HAVE ENVIED HIS
POSITION, HAVING TO MAKE HIS
STATEMENTS IN FRONT OF THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
THIS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. AND HE’S RIGHT TO BE OPTIMISTIC
AND HOPEFUL.
AND HOPEFUL. BUT WE’RE FAR FROM BEING
CONVINCED.
CONVINCED. AND THE CONDITIONS THAT YOU
MENTIONED, OR HE MENTIONED, THAT
THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE --
IT’S BEING GIVEN TO PATIENCE
INTRA
INTRA INTRAVENOUSLY WHO ARE VERY, VERY
SICK, WE’RE SEEING SOME
IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS THAT MAY
BE A SHORTENING OF THEIR
HOSPITAL STAYS.
HOSPITAL STAYS. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WE
HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE
THIS GETS FULLY APPROVED AND
IT’S MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE TO BE
USED.
USED. THAT SAID, I DON’T THINK WE
SHOULD DISTRACT FROM -- OR
DETRACT FROM THE POINT IT IS
POSITIVE NEWS, BUT THERE’S A LOT
MORE THAT NEEDS TO COME ABOUT
BEFORE WE CAN SAY WE FOUND
ANYTHING RESEMBLING A CURE,
BRIAN.
BRIAN. >> ANN RAMOYN, I WANT TO PLAY
FOR YOU SOMETHING FROM YOUR
MAYOR, MAYOR GARCETTI IN LOS
ANGELES, JUST TONIGHT.
WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
SIDE. >> WE ALL KNOW THIS IS A SILENT
KILLER.
KILLER. IT MOVES QUIETLY THROUGH THE
POPULATION.
POPULATION. AND WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR
PEOPLE WHO DON’T SHOW SYMPTOMS
TO GET TESTED IS BECAUSE
OFTENTIMES THEY’RE THE SUPER
SPREADERS.
SPREADERS. WE BELIEVE TOGETHER THAT NOW WE
CAN OFFER IT TO EVERYBODY LIVING
IN THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
STARTING TOMORROW WITH OR
WITHOUT SYMPTOMS.
WITHOUT SYMPTOMS. WE CAN OFFER YOU A TEST, GET YOU
THOSE RESULTS BACK IN A DAY,
TWO, MAXIMUM THESE DAYS IS
THREE.
THREE. >> ANN RAMOYN, THAT IS HUGE
NEWS.
NEWS. A HUGE POPULATION OF PEOPLE
LIVING WITHIN L.A. COUNTY.
IS THIS DO YOU HOPE A MODEL FOR
THE REST OF THE COUNTRY?
>> ABSOLUTELY, BRIAN.
THIS IS TERRIFIC NEWS.
WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS TO HAVE
WIDESPREAD TESTING.
WIDESPREAD TESTING. AND THIS HAS BEEN THE THING WE
HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR AND HOPING
FOR FOR A LONG TIME.
AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO TEST NOT
JUST THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
SYMPTOMATIC BUT THOSE WHO ARE
ASYMPTOMATIC.
ASYMPTOMATIC. AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BIG ISSUE
THAT I SPEND A LOT OF TIME
THINKING ABOUT, ASYMPTOMATIC
INFECTION.
INFECTION. AND YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE
IS A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE
POPULATION WHO IS
ASYMPTOMATICALLY INFECTED AND WE
NEED TO BE ABLE TO CATCH THESE
PEOPLE AS WE CAN EARLY.
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ISOLATE
FROM OTHERS AND TO BE ABLE TO