Source: Washington Examiner
A 99-year-old woman is on the road to recovery from the coronavirus after exercising the Right To Try Act and receiving hydroxychloroquine treatment, her family says.
Doctors say Evelyn Rand is doing “outstanding” and has hope for a “full recovery” after being one of the first of 38 residents in her Little Rock, Arkansas, nursing home to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to THV 11 News.
Rand’s family credits the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which has been touted by President Trump to the dismay of many of his critics, as effective in helping her recover.
“We did ask for them to exercise the Right to Try Act based on what had been used in other countries,” Rand’s granddaughter, Ashley McConnell, said. “Which, for this case, it was hydroxychloroquine. So, she was started on a five-day dose of monotherapy.”
“Those patients that have recovered, you know, that’s going to bring so much hope to people. That’s what we want to hear right now,” McConnell said.
She added that she hopes to hear that her grandmother is fully recovered by Thursday.
Trump signed the Right To Try Act in 2018, giving patients the right to try experimental drugs.
“For many years, patients, advocates, and lawmakers have fought for this fundamental freedom and incredibly they couldn’t get it,” he said at the time. “And there were reasons. A lot of it was business, pharmaceuticals, a lot of it was insurance, a lot of it was liability, and so I said you take care of that stuff. And that’s what we did.”
The president has been widely criticized by members of the media for touting the positive effects of hydroxychloroquine despite several testimonials showing positive results.