Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
COVID Quacks Get Warned
AP: Texas Medical Board Warns Physicians Who Claim COVID-19 Cure
The Texas board that licenses doctors has warned physicians that it could take action against anyone who falsely advertises a cure for COVID-19. The Texas Medical Board issued its warning after a Houston-area pastor and doctor, Dr. Stella Immanuel, very publicly touted hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the disease caused by the coronavirus, the Houston Chronicle reported. Multiple studies have found that hydroxychloroquine doesn’t help against the virus and the Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against using it to treat patients with the disease because of reports linking it with heart problems and other injuries and disorders. (8/4)
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Reuters: Gargling Solution Flies Off Japan's Shelves After Governor Touts Anti-Virus Effect
Japanese drugstores were stripped bare of gargling solution by Wednesday, a day after the governor of the western prefecture of Osaka suggested it could help fight coronavirus, triggering panicked buying reminiscent of the early days of mask shortages. ... On Tuesday, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said a study showed a smaller viral load in the saliva of 41 patients with mild symptoms after regular gargling with a medicine infused with povidone-iodine solution than in those who had not. (8/5)
AP: The Latest: Japan Governor Touts Gargling Product For Virus
A governor in Japan is drawing skeptical criticism after he touted a gargling product as effective against the coronavirus, an assertion that, despite its dubiousness, emptied some store shelves of the medicine. Shares of Shionogi & Co. and Meiji Holdings Co., which make Isojin, soared in Tokyo Tuesday trading after Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura made the comments. (8/5)
