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TOPLINE
Gilead Sciences, which makes Remdesivir, the antiviral that helps speed recovery for coronavirus patients, is donating its entire stock of Remdesivir to the government, the biopharmacy company CEO said in an interview on CBS Sunday.
WASHINGTON, DC – May 1: United States Vice President Mike Pence listens to the President and CEO of Gilead Sciences … [+]
KEY FACTS
The supply of drugs will be turned over to the federal government, which will then allocate it as needed across the country starting early next week, Gilead Sciences President and CEO Daniel O’Day said in the Sunday interview by the morning.
“We have donated all of the supply … because we acknowledge and acknowledge human suffering … and we want to make sure that nothing stands in the way of this reaching patients,” O’Day said.
Although Remdesivir is not a cure for coronavirus, in a study of 800 patients, the antiviral drug shortened the length of hospital stay in users to an average of 11 days, compared to 15 days for COVID-19 patients who did not receive the medicine.
Gilead says more than 140,000 recipes will be available by the end of May, with 1 million available by the end of 2020.
The company has yet to share what it will charge for the drug, if it is approved in the long term.
Critical quote
“This is really very important,” he said. Dr. Anthony Fauci with a smile after Remdesivir’s promising clinical trials on Wednesday. “This will be the standard of care.”
Key background
The Food and Drug Administration issued Remdesivir an emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19, which means that it has not undergone FDA standard verification that drugs are required on the market and is only available for purchase. use by doctors in hospitals. In the study of 800 patients from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on the drug, 50% of patients with COVID-19 on the drug had shorter hospital stays than those without the drug. Furthermore, patients who received the drug had a 8% mortality rate, compared to the 11.6% mortality rate for the non-Remdesivir group.
California-based Foster City, Gilead Sciences develops and manufactures a a lot of other medications for HIV / AIDS, liver disease, hematology / oncology, inflammation and respiratory diseases, but perhaps the most common is Tamiflu, which is used to treat the common flu.
Further reading
Gilead CEO says Remdesivir is available for coronavirus patients this week: “We have donated the entire supply” (CNBC)
Gilead drug data raises hopes for pandemic fight, Fauci calls “highly significant” (Reuters)
Stanford scientists explain what follows after FDA approves Gilead drug Remdesivir for emergency use with COVID-19 (ABC 7)
FDA issues emergency use authorization for treatment with Gilead Remdesivir coronavirus (Forbes)
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