I disagree with the framing of the article. If there was a 10% chance that a cheap, safe, repurposed OTC drug could be an effective treatment for covid, it was absolutely worth investing in trials, and even bypassing some normal procedures. (1/4) https://apnews.com/13e13ba67fc1fe8f9c744e294f3e54d6

Overly cautious CYA mentality is one the biggest reasons we aren't able to develop a lot of the tech needed to suppress this virus.

We need to be willing to take risks that sometimes might not pay off.

BTW, I think the article overstates the case against famotidine. I feel like there's still a 20% chance, but the article's framing suggests 0%. @BrennanSpiegel @__ice9

The trial isn't complete. And there is a retrospective study showing that famotidine, but not PPIs, reduce the risk of death, which is the exact same pattern reported in China. (4/4)
https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(20)34706-5/pdf