What the 1918 flu pandemic can teach us about coronavirus drug trials | Laura Spinney
(The Guardian France)

In times of crisis, scientists have to make ethical decisions about new treatments - even if the evidence seems shaky o Laura Spinney is the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the Worldo Coronavirus latest updateso See all our coronavirus coverageSometimes the parallels between this pandemic and previous ones are uncanny.Take hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug that regulatory agencies all over the world are now hastily authorising for the treatment of hospitalised Covid-19 patients. Outside hospitals, Donald Trump and the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, have expressed enthusiasm for the drug, people are breaking social distancing rules to get it, and there have been cases of poisoning due to inappropriate self-medication. Related: Oxford firm to screen 15,000 drugs in search for coronavirus cure Related: UK coronavirus live news: Hancock says follow the rules or we`ll ban all exercise outside Continue reading...