Scientists on Wednesday announced the first effective treatment against the coronavirus — an experimental drug that can speed the recovery of COVID-19 patients — in a major medical advance that came as the economic gloom caused by the scourge deepened in the U.S. and Europe, AP reported
The U.S. government said it is working to make the antiviral medication remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible.
“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert. “This will be the standard of care.”
The Food and Drug Administration is likely to issue an emergency approval for remdesivir, a senior administration official told The New York Times. Eventually the drug, made by Gilead Sciences, could be the first approved treatment for Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus.
An emergency authorization by the F.D.A. is not the same as a formal drug approval by the agency. When the federal government declares a public health emergency, the F.D.A. can approve certain drugs or tests to address the emergency if there are no other alternatives. That is the case with the coronavirus, since no drugs have been proven to be effective against the virus.
The Jewish voice has reported numerous times on remdesivir and Gilead Sciences
TJV reported: Remdesivir was initially developed by American biotech company Gilead Sciences, as a treatment for Ebola and the Marburg virus. In October 2015 preclinical results revealed that it had blocked the Ebola virus in Rhesus monkeys. However, in August 2019 Congolese health officials announced it was less effective than monoclonal antibodies in treating Ebola and so it’s use was terminated. However, the numerous trials conducted confirmed its safety profile. It is currently being tested in five clinical trials and more information will soon be forthcoming. Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization’s spokesperson, recently remarked “there’s only one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy, and that’s remdesivir.
Gilead does a lot of work in Israel and has headquarters in the Jewish state, in addition to several other locations. The company has deep Israeli roots.
Gilead Sciences purchased Israel’s Kite Pharma Inc. for some $11 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2017
Kite, founded by an Israeli professor in 2009, is among several companies working on technology that uses the body’s immune cells to recognize and attack malignant cells.
