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Andreea Moldovan, medical director of the Hospital for Infectious Diseases of Brașov, points out that with the increase in COVID cases we run the risk of being in a situation like the beginning of the pandemic, when there were no masks, protective equipment, ventilators and when there was a desperate race between countries to buy these materials, sometimes at exorbitant prices. Now, the same may well be true of drugs used to treat COVID, the doctor said.
“I think we must not forget what happened in March-April, when there was this desperation to look for masks, protective equipment, disinfectants, fans, monitors, etc., when the rule of the fastest and the most financially powerful, that they could pay a higher price for that equipment. At that time, everything that was sold internationally was at an extremely high commercial rate. We may end up in the same situation with Remdesivir. And not only with him, “said Andreea Moldovan Sunday night on Digi24.
Donald Trump’s treatment for the new coronavirus infection, Remdesivir, may be too expensive to access. The American company that produces it, Gilead, has announced that it will sell this drug directly to hospitals in the United States, and not through the Department of Health, as it has done so far. This decision could cause an explosion in prices and serious syncope in the rate of purchase, since the drug is already quite expensive: 390 dollars a dose.
“It is a fear that I had from the beginning towards Remdesivir, as well as towards other medicines, because it is clear that there is an imbalance between production and need. There are more and more patients with COVID, there are fewer and fewer drugs that have been proven effective through studies, so the pressure on manufacturers is very high and there is usually only one manufacturer for each drug. Unfortunately, it is obvious and clear that the need will certainly be much greater than what will be available, “explained Dr. Andreea Moldovan.
“It is a problem that we, the doctors who deal with the treatment of patients with COVID, have been reporting for several weeks: the fact that drugs that are somewhat effective are beginning to be increasingly difficult to make available,” he said the medical director of the Hospital. of Infectious Diseases in Brașov.
Redemsivir doses in Romania are insufficient
The doctor noted that the existing doses of Remdesivir in Romania are insufficient anyway, given that the drug is administered only to patients in serious condition, although it would be useful to administer it to those with moderate forms of COVID. “We had doses of Redemsivir in the country, we also received them in the hospital last week, but it is insufficient for what we would need and unfortunately, as a recommendation, administration only in severe forms of disease deprives patients who have average forms and who they would benefit from this treatment by receiving it when needed, “said Andreea Moldovan.
The doctor says that the Redemsivir doses recently received by the Matei Balş Institute in the Capital are only enough for 35 patients.
“Let’s also think about the 200 doses that Matei Balş received. Basically, there are drugs that reach 35 patients, no more, which is insufficient given that they would be treated for five days, the minimum duration of treatment with Remdesivir. I say this only to realize that this amount does not actually represent an extremely high benefit or overabundance of therapy, but instead there are only a few patients who will benefit from this treatment. It is not a problem related to Brașov, Bucharest or Romania, but unfortunately it is an international problem, because it is obvious that as the number of cases increases now, the need for this drug also increases, “said the medical director of the Hospital for Infectious Diseases. in Brașov.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
