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On Thursday, drugmaker Gilead Sciences announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19.

Gilead, which sells remdesivir under the brand name Veklury, issued a statement saying it was the first drug to be approved to treat COVID-19 patients that require hospitalization after previously being authorized by the FDA for emergency use. Veklury was approved for treatment of adults and pediatric patients aged 12 or older and weighing at least 88 pounds and “should only be administered in a hospital or in a healthcare setting capable of providing acute care comparable to inpatient hospital care,” Gilead said.

A study by the World Health Organization last week found that remdesivir along with hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon regimens “appeared to have little or no effect on hospitalized COVID-19, as indicated by overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay.”

FDA approves first drug for Covid-19: remdesivir

Via news.yahoo.com

The Food and Drug Administration approved remdesivir to treat Covid-19 on Thursday, making it…

10/22/2020 6:30 PM

 

On Tuesday, a judge ordered the release of a deposition that British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell gave in 2016 related to her dealings with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, which she has fought to keep under wraps. The documents came from a civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of aiding Epstein in grooming and trafficking her for sex with him and other wealthy, powerful men.

U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska earlier on Tuesday ordered an immediate unsealing of the April 2016 deposition, but pushed back the timetable after Maxwell’s lawyers objected. The judge said lawyers for Maxwell and Giuffre should in the meantime work out any disputes. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected what it called Maxwell’s “meritless” arguments that her interests outweighed the presumption that the public had a right to see her deposition..

Maxwell, 58, has pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit and groom underage girls for sex in the mid-1990s, and not guilty to perjury for denying her involvement under oath. She is being held in a Brooklyn jail, and if convicted could face 35 years in prison. Her trial is scheduled for next July. 

Judge OKs release of Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts

Via abcnews.go.com

A judge says transcripts of interviews lawyers conducted with the ex-girlfriend of the late…

10/20/2020 6:57 PM

 

Citing tax-return data, the New York Times reported on Sunday that President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, after years of reporting heavy losses from his business enterprises to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in income. The Times also said the President also paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years through 2017, despite receiving $427.4 million through 2018 from his reality television program and other endorsement and licensing deals.

The disclosure of previously private tax information came little more than a month before the Nov. 3 election between Trump and Joe Biden. Calling the report “total fake news” at a White House news conference, Trump again cited an ongoing audit as his reason for not releasing his returns. In a statement to the Times, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said Trump had paid millions of dollars in personal taxes over the last decade, without weighing in on the specific finding of minimal income taxes.

Trump’s consistent refusal to release his taxes has been a departure from standard practice for presidential candidates. He is currently in a legal battle with New York City prosecutors and congressional Democrats who are seeking to obtain his returns.

Trump paid $750 in US income taxes in 2016, 2017

Via abcnews.go.com

President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for president and…

09/27/2020 7:56 PM

 

Editorial credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com

Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) continued to modify the agency’s guidelines on COVID-19. On Monday, the CDC abruptly pulled down a days-old change suggesting that the virus can spread from person to person among those greater than 6 feet apart, particularly indoors. 

The agency’s guidance has long said that respiratory droplets, emitted from the nose and mouth of an infected person, “are the main way the virus spreads.” In an update posted Friday, the CDC said these microscopic particles could travel distances greater than 6 feet, particularly in poorly ventilated indoor spaces, like “restaurants and fitness classes.” That language, however, was removed late Monday morning. 

The CDC said in a statement posted on the guidelines home page:  “A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency’s official website. CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of [COVID-19 and] once this process has been completed, the update language will be posted.”

CDC abruptly removes new guidance on coronavirus airborne transmission

Via abcnews.go.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday abruptly removed new guidance that the…

09/21/2020 7:38 PM

 

Editorial credit: Rob Hainer / Shutterstock.com