Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the US has approved and authorized the medicine for Coronavirus and it will be soon reaching the hospitals all over the world.
Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, that makes the antiviral drug Remdesivir, has announced that they have begun mass production of the medicine and it will be delivered to the Coronavirus patients as soon as possible.
Remdesivir has been curing Coronavirus patients quickly and more effectively
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said that Gilead Sciences has released Remdesivir, a unique kind of anti-viral medicine, and now it has been authorized for emergency treatment of the patients who are hospitalized.
Many studies conducted by National Institutes of Health in US found that Remdesivir was an effective medicine to cure the COVID-19 patients, and it even reduced their recovery time by as much as 4 days.
What is Remdesivir and how is it given?
Remdesivir is given by an IV-drip into the patients’ bloodstream, and the course of medicine could be as long as 5-10 days – depending on the severity of the infection.
Scientists are also trying to find out if they can find a way so that patients could take Remdesivir in another form, such as a pill or syrup.
Who will get the medicine first and who will get it last?
Remdesivir will be delivered first to the most critically ill patients who need it urgently. Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences, said:
“We intend to get that to most urgent patients in the early part of this next week, beginning to work with the government, which will determine which cities are most vulnerable and where the patients are that need this medicine.”
Although this situation applies only to the US, there is no announcement as of now about how long it will take to administer the drug to patients all over the world.
Gilead Sciences has donated 1.5 million vials so far
Gilead Sciences has donated their entire stock to Remdesivir, which was 1.5 million vials and it could be used to treat approximately 100,000-200,000 people. But the government will decide where to send these medicines based on need and severity of the cases.
O’Day said:
“We did that because we acknowledge and recognize the human suffering, the human need here and want to make sure that nothing gets in the way of this getting to patients.”
Will other countries after USA also get this medicine or not?
Remdesivir has been proven to the most effective medicine so far for curing the Coronavirus patients. And it will be exported to the rest of the world once the countries decide they want to use it. Medicine trade has many regulations and safety precautions which need to be cleared first.
“We’ve been working very closely with the U.S. government and with other governments around the world. In terms of the allocation question, I think we’re aligned with the US government to both serve the patients here in the United States and then to be able to also make sure, as a global company based here in the United States, that we can serve other countries around the world as well.”
Gilead CEO said that they are trying to produce as much of the medicine as they can, and they’ll have extra supply after July 2020. So most countries in the world can expect to receive Remdesivir by the end of 2020. Which might seem like a long time so until then, we need to sit tight.
Featured Image Courtesy: Healthline
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