Supply of Remdesivir for COVID-19 Running Out

Hospitals frustrated by Remdesivir supply

The US government’s current supply of remdesivir, the only drug known to work against Covid-19, will run out at the end of the month, Dr. Robert Kadlec, a US Department of Health and Human Services official, told CNN.

SUMMARY

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the U.S., medical practitioners and researchers are working tirelessly on a treatment. One of the only drugs known to work against COVID-19 thus far has been remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral medication used to treat Ebola. A study showed that the drug was able to reduce hospital stays by 4 days, from 15 to 11 days. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization for remdesivir, and while it has shown promising positive effects, the supply is not nearly enough. Dr. Robert Kadlec, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response, told CNN that the government’s supply will run out at the end of the month, with the last shipment of the drug going out the week of June 29.   

Gilead Sciences, the company that makes remdesivir, is working to ramp up production, which will significantly increase product delivery in September and October. The U.S. Government has also been working with Gilead on supply chain issues. Thus far, Gilead has donated 940,000 vials of the drug, or enough for about 121,000 patients. However, now that the free supply is almost gone, there are growing concerns that Gilead may charge high prices. At this point, terms have not been set regarding how the drug will be managed after this month and whether the government will continue to procure it or if it will be sold through normal channels.

In early May, the government distributed a small amount of remdesivir directly to about two dozen hospitals nationwide without explaining why those hospitals were chosen over others. Now HHS is using a distribution formula based on the number of patients reported by hospitals to the agency to determine distribution of the drug. They are also publishing how much drug is going to each state on their website. The federal government ships the drug to state health departments, and those departments decide which hospitals will receive it and how much they’ll get. It is important to note that doctors ultimately decide which patients are treated with remdesivir, as it is not a suitable treatment for all COVID patients.

www.cnn.com