Tag: remdesivir

WHO study finds remdesivir didn’t help COVID-19 patients

GENEVA — A large study led by the World Health Organization suggests that the antiviral drug remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients, in contrast to an earlier study that made the medicine a standard of care in the United States and many other countries.

The results announced Friday do not negate the previous ones, and the WHO study was not as rigorous as the earlier one led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. But they add to concerns about how much value the pricey drug gives because none of the studies have found it can improve survival.

The drug has not been approved for COVID-19 in the U.S., but it was authorized for emergency use after the previous study found it shortened recovery time by five days on average. It’s approved for use against COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and Europe, and is among the treatments U.S. President Donald Trump received when he was infected earlier this month. Continue reading.

Taxpayers paid to develop remdesivir but will have no say when Gilead sets the price

Washington Post logoCritics say government deserves more credit for tens of millions in public money spent to develop coronavirus treatment

The drug that buoyed expectations for a coronavirus treatment and drew international attention for Gilead Sciences, remdesivir, started as a reject, an also-ran in the search for antiviral drugs. Its path to relevance didn’t begin until Robert Jordan plucked it from mothballs.

A Gilead scientist at the time, Jordan convinced the company seven years ago to let him assemble a library of 1,000 castoff molecules in a search for medicines to treat emerging viruses. Many viral illnesses threaten human health but don’t attract commercial interest because they lack potential for huge drug sales.

“I kept asking them, ‘Is this okay?’ ” said Jordan, who is now a vice president at a pharmaceutical start-up. “These don’t represent a commercial opportunity but a public health opportunity. Gilead gave me their blessing to do this on the side.” Continue reading.

Frustrated doctors push administration to reveal which hospitals are getting remdesivir — and why

About 25 hospitals have been approved to receive the drug, but doctors say it’s not clear how the government is making those decisions.

Doctors across the country are demanding that the Trump administration explain how it is distributing the sole drug proven to help coronavirus patients to hospitals.

Physicians and infectious-disease experts say that the government has so far ignored some medical centers that are treating large numbers of coronavirus patients. The drug’s maker, Gilead, has donated an unspecified number of doses to the government, which has put HHS and FEMA in charge of doling out the drug to hospitals.

So far the rollout has been chaotic. About 25 hospitals have been approved to receive the drug, but doctors say it’s not clear how the government — through its contractor, AmerisourceBergen — is making those decisions. A spokesperson for the company said the administration is choosing which facilities receive the drug and how much they get. Continue reading.

FDA to authorize emergency use of new coronavirus treatment

The Hill logoThe Trump administration is fast-tracking authorization of the drug remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday announced the drug will receive an “emergency use authorization” after it showed promising results during a clinical trial.

Early results released this week showed the drug had modest success in reducing the time COVID-19 patients were in the hospital. Continue reading.

Fauci touts clinical trial of COVID drug as ‘quite good news’

The Hill logoAnthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, said results from a clinical trial of a potential COVID-19 treatment showed “quite good news.”

Data from an international study of remdesivir showed patients treated with the drug recovered 31 percent faster than patients given a placebo, Fauci told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, alongside President Trumpand Vice President Pence.

“Although a 31 percent improvement doesn’t seem like a knockout 100 percent, it is a very important proof of concept,” Fauci said. “What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.” Continue reading.