‘Desperation science’ slows the hunt for coronavirus drugs
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Chief Medical Writer
Six months after COVID-19 started spreading around the globe, desperation rather than information is still driving many decisions about how to treat the disease. Two drugs have been shown to help but key questions remain about their use. In the United States, critically needed studies were slow to give answers, and some were undermined by wide use of certain drugs without evidence they were safe or effective for fighting coronavirus. Politics compounded the problem and hurt the ability to find out. Now researchers are trying innovative ways to get answers faster while still doing good science.