US BPOM Approves the Use of Remdesivir to Treat Covid-19

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –

United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday (22/10) approved the use of the drug remdesivir for patients hospitalized because of Covid-19.

Medicines sold under the trademark Veklury are used under an emergency license (EUA) in the US. This is the first drug approved in Uncle Sam’s country to treat corona.

“In the United States, Veklury is indicated for adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and over or at least 40 kg for the treatment of Covid-19 which requires hospitalization,” wrote Gilead as the producer as reported. AFP.

“Veklury should only be administered in a hospital or health care setting capable of providing care for acute patients in facilities equivalent to inpatient care in a hospital.”

Research on remdesivir in the US found that the drug can speed up patient recovery times. However, the drug was not found to work well in Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms.

Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a large trial and found that the drug remdesivir had no significant effect on Covid-19 patients. The drug was found to be unable to speed up patient recovery times, as has been found in previous research.

Apart from researching remdesivir, WHO is also testing several other drugs used to treat Covid-19 patients, among them hydroxychloroquine, a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, and interferon.

“None of the three drugs are able to help patients live longer or be discharged from hospital in a faster time,” the WHO quoted CNN as saying.

The trial is also looking for conclusive evidence about the drug’s effect on the risk of death from Covid-19. Every drug in the study, the WHO continued, had a disappointing effect on the risk of death from infection.

The study conducted trials on more than 11 thousand Covid-19 patients from 405 hospitals in 30 countries. The preliminary findings are still being released in preprint form and have not been peer-reviewed.

Approximately 2,750 patients received remdesivir, 954 patients received hydroxychloroquine, 651 patients received interferon and lopinafir combination, 1,412 received interferon, and 4,088 received no drug in the study.

The researchers, led by the WHO, said trials would continue. “New antiviral drugs, immunomodulators and monoclonal antibodies are now being considered for evaluation through this solidarity trial,” WHO said.

(evn)

[Gambas:Video CNN]

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