The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it had approved remdesivir as the first drug approved for use in treating COVID-19 patients. Also known by the brand name Veklury, the FDA authorized the anti-viral drug “for use in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) for the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.” The approval order modifies an earlier FDA emergency use authorization (EUA), issued on May 1, that authorized remdesivir for the general population. Remdesivir can still be used for pediatric patients under that EUA as clinical trials continue regarding the drug’s effectiveness and safety among pediatric patients.
The FDA‘s remdesivir approval comes as eleven COVID-19 vaccines are currently in large-scale phase 3 clinical trials, according to The New York Times. Several experts have cautiously estimated that one or more COVID-19 vaccinations could be ready for FDA approval before the end of the year. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor for the White House’s Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 vaccination effort, told ABC News Wednesday that he feels “pretty confident” most Americans can be vaccinated by June 2021.
As of Thursday morning, there were over 8.4 million reported COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and more than 222,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. This remains more cases and deaths than in any other country.
FDA approves remdesivir as first drug to treat COVID-19
