Week in Review: Finding a Cure

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak is unlike anything Americans have ever experienced. As millions of us shelter in place in our homes, cancel long-held plans, and adjust to the new realities of working or attending classes remotely, we’re also watching government and the private sector respond to the epidemic, looking for solutions.

The Goldwater Institute’s work was meant for times like these and is already having a profound impact in America’s fight against the coronavirus. Not only has Goldwater been the incubator of innovative and relevant ideas that are now helping to guide smart public policy in this crisis, we’re also leading the way in discussing what needs to be done to put this country and its people on the road to recovery.

This week, we’re sharing some stories about how our work is helping in the search for a treatment. You can read even more here. As always, we hope that you stay safe and well, and we thank you for your continued generosity and support.

Seeking a Coronavirus Cure—Not a Regulatory Stamp of Approval

When is a cure a cure? Is it when it actually cures something? Or is it when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it’s a cure?

To top FDA bureaucrats and many in the media, it’s the latter. But to those facing death from the COVID-19 virus, which has no FDA-approved treatment or vaccine, maybe not so much. Goldwater Institute National Investigative Journalist Mark Flatten reports this week on the controversy over the use of two drugs that offer at least some hope for an effective treatment of COVID-19.

“The bottom line is that in the midst of a global pandemic in which hundreds of people are dying daily, there is a lot of potential upside to be weighed against the minimal risks of the unknown,” Flatten writes. “As President Trump put it at a news conference: ‘We ought to give it a try.’”

Read more in Flatten’s report here.

Goldwater Legal Victory Helps Shine Light on Drug Approval Process

Amid the coronavirus crisis, there’s been a good deal of discussion about how the government can speed the availability of treatments in the middle of an outbreak. But shouldn’t the public be able to know how the government makes those decisions? Incredibly, the FDA has stonewalled for years in the face of the Goldwater Institute’s request for information about that very process.

In a timely decision for government transparency in healthcare, the Ninth Circuit ruled this week in favor of the Goldwater Institute in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case seeking information about how federal officials decided to make a lifesaving drug available during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa years ago. It’s a decision that could have a significant impact in America’s search for a treatment for COVID-19.

Read what the court’s decision means and learn how it could have implications for how America responds to today’s crisis.

Nevada Governor Bans COVID-19 Treatment. Goldwater Speaks Out.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is a politician and a businessman, but now, he’s playing coronavirus doctor from his perch in Carson City: Governor Sisolak has banned the use of a drug, chloroquine, for the treatment of COVID-19 in the state.

Goldwater Institute Director of Heathcare Policy Naomi Lopez has spoken out on this issue on Nevada television, bringing attention to the governor’s flawed decision and offering valuable policy insight for the nation. And in a new video, Goldwater Executive Vice President Christina Sandefur explains more about the issue.

“Politicians aren’t physicians, and they shouldn’t be making medical decisions, especially when people’s lives are at stake. Those delicate and personal decisions are best left in the hands of the patient’s doctor. Governor Sisolak’s order is bad medicine.”

Read more from Lopez and Sandefur on the In Defense of Liberty blog.