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The World Health Organization said Monday it will speak to the US government. USA And Gilead Sciences on how remdesivir antiviral drugs might become more widely available to treat Covid-19 as data on its effectiveness emerges.
WHO appreciates recent data from a clinical trial conducted by the US government. USA Showing that the drug appears to be effective in reducing recovery times for patients with Covid-19, said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s emergency health program, at a press conference. at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
“There are signs of hope in the potential use of the drug,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for Gilead’s drug to treat Covid-19 on Friday after the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases released its trial results. Clinical showing that patients who took remdesivir generally recovered after 11 days, four days faster than those who did not take the drug.
The drug has not been formally approved to treat the virus, and US health officials. USA They caution that the new data on the drug has not yet been peer-reviewed. Although the drug was awarded for emergency use, there are still several clinical trials underway, including a WHO solidarity trial, which tests the drug to see if it is effective in fighting the coronavirus.
“We are grateful that the Gilead company and the CEO held direct conversations at the highest level to ensure that we had access to the remdesivir drug to launch solidarity trials worldwide,” said Ryan.
Remdesivir has shown promise in treating SARS and MERS, which are also caused by coronaviruses. Some health authorities in the US The United States, China, and other parts of the world have been using remdesivir, which has been tested as a possible treatment for the Ebola outbreak, in hopes that the drug may improve outcomes for Covid-19 patients.
President Donald Trump has touted remdesivir as a potential treatment for the virus, which has infected more than 3.5 million people worldwide and killed at least 247,752, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Last week, he said he wanted the FDA to move “as fast as possible” to approve the drug.
Gilead expects to produce more than 140,000 rounds of its 10-day treatment regimen by the end of May, and anticipates that it can complete 1 million rounds by the end of this year. Gilead said he will be able to produce “several million” of his antiviral drug next year.
