Assemblyman Christopher Tague (R,C,I–Schoharie) has recently brought a breakthrough in COVID-19 treatment by a local doctor in Schoharie County to the attention of the White House, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the entire Coronavirus Task Force.

In a letter, Tague highlighted the work of Dr. John McMichael, who has been developing treatment across multiple lines (TML), the product has been through two United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) phase-2 trials for patients with herpes infection. Most recently, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several physicians in Dr. McMichael’s Beech Tree Labs network offered TML to their COVID-19 patients as a compassionate use treatment with much success — it has been reported that all infected patients who received TML for this purpose, recovered within 48 hours.

“In this time of crisis, it’s imperative we seek every possible manner to fight the virus,” Tague said. “To that end, I feel that the breakthrough Dr. McMichael has had with TML is a very hopeful avenue to helping those afflicted by COVID-19. It is my hope that by bringing all the resources to the Coronavirus Task Force, along with the attention of President Trump, we will be able to accelerate any investigation to cure the virus.”

TML has already passed two trials with the United States Food and Drug Administration for treating herpes and influenza, meaning the drug has proven safe. However, for TML to be used as an authorized treatment for COVID-19 and be made accessible to all patients, its efficacy first needs to be confirmed. While I understand there has been some progress made in coordinating a “double-blind” test with a lab in Memphis, TN, it could be as many as 10 days before this study even commences.

The letter may be read here.