Apr 15, 2020 - Health

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' trial delayed due to coronavirus

Holmes and her lawyers in November 2019. Photo: Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' trial for allegedly defrauding investors, patients and doctors via the blood-testing company has been rescheduled from August until at least Oct. 27 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Stat reports.

Why it matters: The trial is one of the first high-profile legal cases to be delayed after more than 40 states have issued stay-at-home orders.

U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila said during a status conference Wednesday that he would consider moving the trial back to early 2021 if the coronavirus remains a threat later this year.
Holmes' lawyers had pushed for the trial to be delayed in a memo earlier this week, saying that they have previously faced "crowds of onlookers who have often approached and even touched counsel and the defendant during entry to the building."

The backdrop: Holmes and former Theranos president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani were indicted in 2018 on counts of conspiracy and wire fraud.

Go deeper: Theranos founder's defense

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Marisa Fernandez

17 hours ago - Health

World Health Organization resumes hydroxychloroquine trial

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

The World Health Organization will resume its hydroxychloroquine trial after its safety committee found "there are no reasons to modify the trial protocol," WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing Wednesday.

The big picture: The organization temporarily suspended its trial for the antimalarial drug last week after an analysis published in The Lancet showed coronavirus patients who took hydroxychloroquine or its related drug chloroquine were more likely to die or develop an irregular heart rhythm.

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Axios

Updated 6 hours ago - Health

U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

Florida reported on Wednesday its largest number of new novel coronavirus cases in a single day since April 17. 1,317 people tested positive to take the state total to 58,764, per the state's health department. Despite the rise, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said bars and clubs could reopen on Friday.

By the numbers: More than 107,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus and over 1.8 million people have tested positive, per data from Johns Hopkins. More than 479,000 Americans have recovered and over 18 million tests have been conducted.

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Bob Herman

15 hours ago - Health

Hydroxychloroquine failed to prevent coronavirus infections

Photo: George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

Hydroxychloroquine, a drug that treats malaria and lupus, did not prevent people from getting COVID-19 if they were exposed to the virus, according to data from a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The bottom line: There has been widespread confusion about hydroxychloroquine's effectiveness — President Trump and other conservatives touted the pill with little sound evidence, while other flawed studies suggested it was harmful. But this trial authoritatively says the drug "didn't work" as a preventive medication for this coronavirus, a Vanderbilt University infectious disease doctor told the Washington Post.