[ad_1]
Twenty-two American veterans would commit suicide each day and the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking action against this sobering statistic of President Trump's request.
The president said Wednesday he had asked the VA to place an important order for Spravato, used to treat depression in patients who may not have obtained the results of other treatments or medications, although some medical experts have claimed that the effectiveness of this drug was not quite satisfactory. clear.
Spravato would be part of a new combination of drugs administered as a spray, Robert Wilkie, secretary of the VA, told the Fox News newspaper Thursday morning, stressing that the VA had been prescribing Spravato for years "but in intravenous form and under the supervision of anesthesiologists ".
"We are in the process of nasal spray," Wilkie told America's Newsroom. "It's always under the supervision of anesthetists at [the] VA, but the FDA has approved the combination of several drugs and Spravato [as] a way to fight depression. "
VETERAN WALKS FROM A WASHINGTON STATE TO DISNEY WORLD TO RAISE SUICIDE AWARENESS BY SERVICE MEMBERS
"We are doing everything we can to solve the problems of depression and mental health. I have said time and time again that we did not even have this national mental health conversation that we desperately needed, "said Wilkie, also highlighting addiction and homelessness.
"It's just beginning with this combination of drugs that the FDA has approved for us, to see if we can reduce depression," Wilkie told reporters Jon Fox and Sandra Smith of Fox News.
On Wednesday, before leaving for the US National Veterans Convention (AMVETS) in Kentucky, President Trump told the press that he had asked the VA to buy "a lot" of Spravato.
"This is a product currently manufactured by Johnson & Johnson that has an extremely positive, rather short-term, but still positive effect," said Trump, McClatchy said. "I asked the VA manager to go out and buy a lot, and we buy a lot."
At the AMVETS convention, Trump said there was no more pressing problem than the suicide crisis among veterans.
"My administration is determined to do everything in its power to save the lives of our heroes," Trump said.
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE CANCELING STUDENT LOAN DEBT FOR VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES
The president said earlier in the White House that he hoped the VA "is getting ready [the medication] at a very good price "from Johnson & Johnson.
A dose of Spravato is $ 295, according to McClatchy; The total daily cost of a patient can be more than $ 700 if they need two and a half sprays, which is common. Since the Food and Drug Administration approved VA treatment, Medicare and Medicaid will cover 65% of each dose, McClatchy said.
Wilkie told Fox News Thursday that a veteran could receive the Spravato Nasal Spray if his doctor and his team approved of its use.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump Wednesday also signed a decree that cancels any student loan debt for veterans with permanent disabilities.
Jon Scott and Sandra Smith of Fox News contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link