Special K For The V.A.

[ZiprHead]

Trump orders VA to buy controversial drug to fight veteran suicide

President Donald Trump said the Department of Veterans Affairs will buy “a lot” of a controversial new drug to help fight veteran suicides, despite a decision by the agency not to put it on its approved medications list.

“There’s a product that’s made right now that just came out by Johnson & Johnson which has a tremendously positive, pretty short term, but nevertheless a positive effect. I’ve instructed the head of the VA to go out and buy a lot of it. And we are buying a lot of it,” Trump said to reporters at the White House Wednesday as he prepared to depart for a national veterans conference in Kentucky.

But even the VA isn’t sure about the drug, named Spravato. Its medical advisory panel voted in June to classify the drug, known in its generic form as esketamine, as “non-formulary,” meaning it was not included on a list of VA-approved medications that are covered by the agency’s pharmacy benefits. The Center for Public Integrity was the first to report on the June vote.

Donald Trump Thinks He Can Stop Veteran Suicides With Ketamine

When a reporter asked the president what his administration is doing to help prevent suicides among veterans, Trump said: “There’s a product that’s made right now that just came out by Johnson & Johnson which has a tremendously positive, pretty short term, but nevertheless, a pretty positive effect. I’ve instructed the head of the VA to go out and buy a lot of it, and we are buying a lot of it. Hopefully we’re getting it at a very good cost.”

The president added: “I guess it’s a form of a stimulant where if somebody is really in trouble from the standpoint of suicide, it can do something. It’s pretty well known. It just came out. It’s made, I believe, by Johnson & Johnson and we have calls in now to Johnson & Johnson… we’ve been dealing with them for two months on buying a lot of it.”

Johnson & Johnson donated a million dollars to Trump. It got one of the Johnsons a sweet ambassadorship. Now Trump is promoting a controversial and not so effective drug treatment of an inhaler dosing ketamine for suicidal veterans. It's only $795 a dose and dosing is 3 times daily.

The swamp is swirling and it will soon drown veterans while Johnson $ Johnson make a killing.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

A quick look around, it seems Ketamine is useful for preventing imminent suicide attempts or attempted but failed via treatment in the ER. I couldn't find a study for prolonged use.

Question, Ketamine has been around for decades... why is the price so high?

 

[ZiprHead]

Question, Ketamine has been around for decades... why is the price so high?

Because Trump will make the VA pay it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

A quick look around, it seems Ketamine is useful for preventing imminent suicide attempts or attempted but failed via treatment in the ER. I couldn't find a study for prolonged use.

Question, Ketamine has been around for decades... why is the price so high?

I think this is a different form of it, I've never heard of it as an inhaled drug before.