EU approves use of remdesivir to treat severe cases of coronavirus

The European Union Commission on July 3 approved the anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat severe cases of COVID-19. While taking to Twitter, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called the authorisation of the drug ‘an important step’ to fight the deadly disease. The officials in Brussels also approved the drug just days after the United States effectively stockpiled the world’s entire supply of the medication. 

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First drug authorised at EU level 

The authorisation of the drug also comes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the drug be approved for treating patients who require supplemental oxygen. Anti-viral medicine is reportedly the only anti-coronavirus medication to be given the green light in the European Union. The EU Commission earlier this week also said that they had begun negotiations with remdesivir manufacturer Gilead Sciences in a bid to secure doses for the EU member states. 

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According to the press note released by the EU, “Remdesivir is now authorised for conditional marketing authorisation, one of the EU regulatory mechanisms created to facilitate early access to medicines that fulfil an unmet medical need, including those for emergency situations in response to public health threats such as the current pandemic”. 

According to reports, the drug has been shown to reduce recovery times for patient who had suffered from severe respiratory problems. The UK had also approved the drug back in May. The British health officials had reportedly also outlined that the anti-viral drug would only be used to treat the sickest patients. It is one of the two drugs that have been approved in Britain to treat deadly coronavirus. 

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