The refusal of the FDA to consider properly controlled studies (like the one in France) conducted overseas is one of the main failings of the American health care system. It is easy to fix: Congress simply needs to require by law that controlled studies of pharmaceuticals and medical devices conducted overseas always be used as the basis for expediting approval. In emergency situations they should also require the FDA to grant temporary approvals based on sufficiently broad reports of successful use in the field.
But even controlled experiments/studies do not always emerge with the final truth.
I remember when the AMA condemned chiropractic and acupuncture as being fake treatments. (I personally had good results from chiropractic after getting no help from medical doctors.)
A while late they had to retract that and say both can be beneficial.
Remember the urgings of food "experts" who said you'd die if you ate more than one egg a week or consumed butter?
They retracted that after a number of years.
I like it when new treatments are studied by professionals, but we can't always rely on their word.
This furor over hydroxychloroquine and related medicines are an example.
If numerous doctors across the pond report excellent results with its use from many thousands of infected people, do we really need the AMA to do a huge study before American doctors can prescribe it?
