S Korea seeks out anti-viral remdesivir
SEOUL: South Korean health authorities said yesterday they would request imports of Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19, as new outbreaks of the disease flare as social distancing restrictions are eased.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must approve the import but a government panel concluded remdesivir showed positive results, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Director Jeong Eunkyeong said.
Foster City, California-based Gilead has said the drug has improved outcomes for people suffering from the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus and has provided data suggesting it works better when given in the early stages of infection.
Preliminary results from a trial led by the US Institutes of Health showed remdesivir cut hospital stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, although it did not significantly improve survival.
Remdesivir, which failed as a treatment for Ebola, is designed to stop some viruses making copies of themselves inside infected cells.
After mounting a campaign of tracing and testing to blunt an initial wave of coronavirus infections in February and
March, South Korea has seen smaller but persistent outbreaks as it has lifted some social distancing restrictions in recent weeks.
The latest spike in cases has been linked to a logistics facility near Seoul operated by e-commerce giant Coupang. The firm is under fire after health officials said some basic safety measures were not followed as workers rushed to fulfil a huge hike in orders driven by more online shopping.
As of midnight on Thursday, the KCDC reported 58 new cases, bringing the country’s total to 11,402, with 269 deaths.