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# White House Continues Effort to Speed Virus Therapies
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/white-house-continues-effort-to-speed-virus-therapies/
- Published: 2020-04-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T16:09:38.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5146477

The Trump administration continues to put pressure on FDA to speed access to potential coronavirus treatments. The latest effort has the White House supporting a decades-old flu drug to be used as a possible Covid-19 treatment. *Politico* [reports](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/31/white-house-pressures-fda-japanese-drug-157587?ref=fdaweb.com) that the drug, Fujifilm’s Avigan, has been touted by Japanese Prime Minister **Shinzo Abe** and Chinese scientists as a potential coronavirus treatment, but global regulators and U.S. researchers have concerns about the drug’s risks, such as birth defects, and have warned that the Chinese data are insufficient.

The potential political interference by a president and his administration is setting a new precedent that could lead to lasting effects to FDA’s independence and gold-standard reputation around the world. Last month, many saw a hidden political directive from president Trump ([see story](https://www.fdaweb.com/emergency-use-allows-for-unapproved-drug-use/)) when FDA issued an emergency use authorization to permit the distribution and use of 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz and one million doses of chloroquine phosphate donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, for patients hospitalized with caronavirus. FDA issued the EUA to HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to allow hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products donated to the Strategic National Stockpile to be distributed and prescribed by doctors when a clinical trial is not available or feasible.

Meanwhile, the president’s personal attorney, **Rudy Giuliani**, has been urging FDA to fast-track clinical trials of an experimental stem cell therapy in Covid-19 patients. He has pitched the drug, Celularity’s CYNK-001, on Twitter and in a podcast, *Stat* [reports](https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/31/rudy-giuliani-wants-fda-to-fast-track-a-stem-cell-therapy-for-covid-19-critics-see-political-meddling/?ref=fdaweb.com). “The general reputation of the FDA — and I don’t mean to be critical at a time like this — but it is very slow,” Giuliani said in the podcast with the company’s CEO. “I have represented pharma companies and it was my observation that they took forever in situations where people are dying. Come on, let’s go. Let’s move.” Then on Twitter, Giuliani [pitched](https://twitter.com/RudyGiuliani/status/1243728892139122693?s=20&ref=fdaweb.com) Celularity’s therapy as having “real potential” and “trials need to be EXPEDITED.”