PROGRESS: FDA issues emergency authorization of anti-malaria drug for coronavirus care.

Politico says there’s “scant evidence,” but that’s ignoring multiple French studies. It’s journalistic malpractice — which is to say, journalism as usual in the age of Trump — to pretend that there’s “scant evidence.” Politico’s Dan Diamond doesn’t even mention the French studies.

Related: Italy and France are now prescribing hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as treatments for coronavirus patients. Politico’s Dan Diamond doesn’t mention this either, preferring to treat it as purely a hare-brained Trump scheme.

I thought the press usually wanted us to be more like Europe.

UPDATE: “Scant evidence.” Novartis CEO says Malaria drug is biggest hope against coronavirus.

Novartis Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan said his Sandoz generics unit’s malaria, lupus and arthritis drug hydroxychloroquine is the company’s biggest hope against the coronavirus, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday.

Novartis has pledged to donate 130 million doses and is supporting clinical trials needed before the medicine, which U.S. President Donald Trump also has been promoting, can be approved for use against the coronavirus.

Other companies including Bayer and Teva have also agreed to donate hydroxychloroquine or similar drugs, while Gilead Sciences is testing its experimental drug remdesivir against coronavirus.

“Pre-clinical studies in animals as well as the first data from clinical studies show that hydroxychloroquine kills the coronavirus,” Narasimhan told the newspaper.

I mean, you might disagree, or say it’s early days yet, but “scant evidence?” This is why people think the press is garbage. Because it keeps being garbage.