UK gives nod to selective remdesivir in coronavirus NHS cases

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Gilead Sciences’ experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, has received authorization in the U.K. to treat a number of severely ill National Health Service coronavirus patients.

Use of the drug was supported by the government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) through the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, which allows patients with life-threatening illnesses to have access to unlicensed drugs in emergency situations.

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Gilead will provide the drug free of charge to the NHS during the EAMS' period for coronavirus patients with a high unmet medical need determined by a physician, according to a statement from the government.

U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday that the move was “probably the biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus” since the onset of the crisis.

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The news comes after a National Institutes of Health clinical trial confirmed remdesivir is effective in reducing COVID-19 patients’ path to recovery by four days when compared with a placebo.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for Gilead’s remdesivir last month. Though remdesivir has not received formal approval for use, hospitals in the U.S. have administered the drug to some critically ill coronavirus patients after a federal shipment earlier this month. Similarly, the FDA’s EUA is permitted under emergency situations when unapproved medical products, or the uses of which, are urgently needed to treat fatal diseases or conditions where there are no adequate alternatives.