A Texas doctor decided to give dozens of coronavirus patients at a nursing home a controversial, experimental medication, in some cases without telling their families first. He defends the decision.
. He says Patrick reached out to Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes, also a Republican, who knew someone on the board of the New Jersey-based company Amneal Pharmaceuticals. The company, which makes and distributes the drug, has donated more than a million tablets nationwide, including to the states of Texas andTwo days later, Armstrong had received more than enough medication to begin giving it to patients.
While the"overwhelming majority of them are awake and alert and can actually have a conversation," Armstrong said some suffer from middle stages of dementia. In some cases, he did not discuss with anyone at all before prescribing the tablets. But he claimed that it is common for physicians to prescribe new medications to patients without explicit consent from the patient or family members."It's not required," he said.
The healthcare network confirmed Armstrong is a practicing physician at the hospital, but would not comment on treatment of patients due to privacy concerns. She noted warnings issued by the FDA that it can lead to severe problems for people with heart issues, and that the agency urges doctors to conduct an EKG before prescribing it. Another side effect involves damage to the retina."We know the right dosages for malaria and lupus and rheumatoid arthritis but don't know yet what the right dosages are [for COVID-19], that's why we are doing clinical trials to make sure we get it right," she said.
"It's up to a medical professional to determine how and when it would be appropriate to prescribe," Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, told NPR.
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