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(Reuters) – U.S. hospitals have rejected about a third of their allocated supplies of the COVID-19 drug remdesivir since July as the need for costly antivirals declines, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Friday. (HHS).
Some hospitals said they are still buying Gilead Sciences
The Food and Drug Administration has allowed more liberal use of remdesivir, but 6 of the top 8 hospital systems contacted by Reuters said they were not using it for moderate cases.
The slowdown suggests the drug’s shortage is over and threatens Gilead’s efforts to expand the use of remdesivir, which it sells under the Veklury brand in some countries.
An HHS spokesperson confirmed Friday that between July 6 and September 8, the state and territorial public health systems accepted about 72% of the remdesivir offered to them. Hospitals, in turn, bought only about two-thirds of what states and territories accepted, as Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmaceutical practice and quality at the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, previously detailed to Reuters.
Gilead did not respond to a request for comment.
A remdesivir surplus, which costs $ 3,120 for a 6-vial IV course, marks a departure from early in the pandemic, when supplies of the drug were not meeting demand in some regions.
The government-led distribution of remdesivir will expire at the end of September. Hospitals said they have little information on availability after that.
Remdesivir was first cleared by the FDA in May for emergency use in hospitalized and oxygen-supported COVID-19 patients after data showed that it helped shorten hospital recovery time.
‘NOT TERRIBLY IMPRESSED’
Last month, the agency expanded use to hospitalized patients who do not require oxygen support, according to data published in the medical journal JAMA showing that the drug provided a modest benefit for those patients.
The most recent data has not convinced many experts.
“I’m not very impressed with the study,” said Dr. Adarsh Bhimraj, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. He said he remains “skeptical” about the use of remdesivir in moderate COVID-19 patients, especially given the price.
Dr. Rajesh Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said his center has focused on the use of remdesivir for the smaller population of seriously ill patients who need supplemental oxygen.
“Nobody wants to be in a position to make treatment decisions based on the availability of drugs,” he said.
Houston Methodist Hospital is delaying wider use of remdesivir and instead stockpiling it in case the pandemic breaks out in winter, usually the peak season for respiratory illnesses.
“At this point, we are buying much more than we are using because we are not sure what will happen in late September,” said Katherine Perez, an infectious disease pharmacist at Houston Methodist.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital for a day or two due to an underlying health problem, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, benefit from the drug, he added.
Mark Sullivan, associate director of pharmacy for Vanderbilt University Hospitals and Clinics in Nashville, said his institution also did not expand the use of remdesivir based on the most recent data from JAMA.
“We have kept our treatment protocol the same,” he said.
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