US: Remdesivir becomes first drug to be approved for COVID-19
Remdesivir, the Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treating the patients hospitalized with Covid-19.
The antiviral Remdesivir has become first and only drug approved for the COVID-19.
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Gilead Sciences Inc said in a statement that it is currently meeting the demand for the antiviral drug. It is being sold under the brand name Veklury, in the United States.
It anticipates meeting the global demand by the end of October. Previously, Remdesivir granted authorization for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration for Covid-19.
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Remdesivir was one of the drugs that was used to treat US President Donald Trump when he was tested positive for coronavirus.
It has become a standard of care for those hospitalized patients with severe infection of novel virus after a study led by the National Institutes of Health showed that it reduced hospital stays by 5 days.
However, the doctors were wary of using the drug in patients with less severe illness.
Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) last week had said that its international trial of Covid-19 therapies have showed that the Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug did not have an effect on patients’ length of hospital stay. It is pertinent to mention that the study has not been reviewed by the outside experts.
-PTC News
