US FDA approves Remdesivir as Covid-19 treatment drug
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gilead Sciences’ Remdesivir as a treatment for those who have contracted the novel coronavirus.
The drug has been touted by US President Donald Trump who received it earlier this month after contracting COVID-19 amid a flurry of public events and campaign activities.
Gilead said, “The drug is now the antiviral backbone of combination therapy” studies being reviewed by the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Merdad Parsey, the company’s chief medical officer, in a statement said, “Beyond combination trials, we continue to study Veklury in specific populations, including pediatric patients, and in the outpatient setting, and we anticipate sharing data from these trials in the first half of next year.”
“The drug will be used for COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization, and is administered intravenously,” he added.
While Remdesivir is approved for patients 12 years and older, Gilead said the FDA has issued a “temporary emergency use authorization for it to treat younger individuals that weigh over 7.7 pounds.”
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