The United States government has secured much of the Cordesavir agent remdesivir production target until September. A corresponding agreement with the biotech company Gilead Sciences provides for the acquisition of drug doses for more than 500,000 treatments, according to the US Department of Health. This corresponds to 100 percent of the planned production volume for July and 90 percent for August and September.
Remdesivir is considered one of the most promising drugs for severe symptoms. Studies have shown that hospitalization at Covid-19 can be shortened.
„There is nothing left for Europe“
A Gilead spokesman did not want to comment on the question of whether the agreement would endanger the supply of the active ingredient in Europe. Pharmaceutical expert Andrew Hill from the University of Liverpool, according to the Guardian, said: „You (the United States) have access to most of the drug, so nothing remains for Europe.“
Gilead said it agreed with the US government that unallocated parts of the production „could be made available for other uses, including outside the United States.“ To this end, the hospitals‘ needs reports will be closely monitored and evaluated every two weeks, it said.
EU before deciding on approval
Just last week, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended approval for the drug with the trade name Veklury subject to conditions in Europe. A decision by the EU Commission is expected later this week.
Remdesivir was originally developed to treat Ebola, but was not effective enough. It has so far not been approved as a medicine in any country in the world.
