Remdesivir: – Saving medicine, or business model?

Worldwide, around eleven million infections with the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are now known. Over half a million deaths, 19, is a disease in connection with a COVID -. The international research team are still looking desperately for treatment strategies. Now the first drug for the treatment of COVID-19 has been approved in Europe. It is the Ebola drug Remdesivir.

For the first time, a drug against COVID-19 is approved in the EU. It is difficult for sick patients could help. Currently have secured the USA a large part of the production.

Controversial drug for the COVID-19-approved treatment

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The EU Commission has approved the drug Remdesivir against the lung disease COVID-19. The States are following the European medicines Agency EMA, the on 25. June had recommended approval, subject to conditions. But Remdesivir – trade name Veklury – is quite controversial.

What is Remdesivir?

The Mediterranean, the US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences was originally developed for the treatment of Ebola virus disease, but never for this use approved. Later, there were indications that it might act against corona viruses. Remdesivir is administered by Infusion and inhibits an enzyme the virus for their propagation is necessary.

How is the study location?

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There are several studies have been published to Remdesivir, but many were hardly any conclusions on efficacy. In may, an international Team presented the first positive results in the “New England Journal of Medicine” (NEJM). About half of the 1063 subjects and subjects got Remdesivir. The other Participants were the control group.

What success has the Remdesivir?

“We have proven that the drug at a COVID-19-disease, and softens the severe progression of the disease phase is reduced to about four days,” says the study involved infections Loge, Gerd Fätkenheuer of the University hospital of Cologne, the German press Agency. The Participants with Remdesivir had a recovery time of 11 days, the control group of 15.

Remdesivir was overall very well tolerated, says Fätkenheuer. The study reported in the control group even more side-effects than in the Remdesivir group. In both groups, people died, however, on the Coronavirus. The authors write in the NEJM, the administration of antiviral agents alone would be sufficient, probably, to the therapy.

Criticism of the admission

The most notable critics in Germany, Uwe Janssens, President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and emergency medicine (DIVI) is. He stressed that so far there is no published evidence that Remdesivir lowering the mortality rate. “There is no evidence that we save lives here.” Successful treatment mean for him, among other things, substantial reduction in Mortality. And not to be given according to the current state.

“It is a valid and reliable long-term results for COVID-19-patients lacking definitely,” stresses Janssens also. “And in principle we would wish in intensive care medicine, such study results are confirmed by further study.”

Fätkenheuer rejects the criticism: “If one reads ,four days less sick they say might have been: Well, what’s the point? Makes this so much? But it is a sky is of course a difference whether someone is on the intensive and artificially ventilated, or whether he will be spared. And that can depend on this drug, such cases, we have had in the study.“

Who should be treated with Remdesivir?

The agent had been tested in the study, both in the case of slight symptoms, as well as in severely ill patients, reported Fätkenheuer. The study showed that especially Affected benefited at an early stage of the disease of Remdesivir.

Will be the funds available in Germany?

The USA have secured the majority of the to September is the targeted production amount of Remdesivir. Germany has secured, according to the health Ministry, however, at an early stage Remdesivir supplies. There is currently enough reserves. He added that he expects the US manufacturer to the approval, “that Germany and Europe are supplied when it comes to such a drug,” said Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) on Thursday (2. July) in the “ZDF-morning magazine”.

Where is Remdesivir made?

The main production site of Remdesivir La Verne in California. “However, we have supplemented our own production by the significant additional capacity of several production partners in North America, Europe and Asia”, explained the spokesman of Gilead, in Germany, Martin flörke Meier. Gilead have also completed license agreements with nine generic drugs manufacturers in Egypt, India and Pakistan. It had increased the production significantly, it could not be driven in the case of a large outbreak of rapidly more high.

What the drug costs?

A five-day treatment with Remdesivir will cost according to the company, at the time of order by the US government, 2340 dollars (about 2,000 euros) per person Affected. This net amount is also planned for Germany, insured flörke Meier. The costs are paid for in Germany by the funds. The researchers Fätkenheuer criticized the prize as “extremely high”. “I would expect that societal and ethical considerations play in the case of a drug like Remdesivir a role,” said the infections Lodge of the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”. (vb; Source: Christoph Driessen, dpa)

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