Anti-viral drug cleared for seriously ill
The first drug for coronavirus will be rolled out to seriously ill patients, the Government has announced. From this week, some patients will be given remdesivir. The anti-viral drug is currently undergoing clinical trials around the world, including in the UK, with early data showing it can shorten the time to recovery by about four days. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has cleared it to be used as part of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.
THE first drug for coronavirus will be rolled out to seriously ill patients, the Government has announced.
From this week, some patients will be given remdesivir to help speed up their recovery.
The drug is currently undergoing clinical trials around the world, including in the UK, with early data showing it can shorten the time to recovery by about four days.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has cleared it to be used as part of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS).
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said: “This is probably the biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus since the crisis began.”
Commenting on the announcement, Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor at the school of medicine at the University of Leeds, said “The news that remdesivir will be available via the EAMS is welcome indeed.
“It will likely mean that the most severe patients will receive it first. It is a welcome boost to the current repertoire of Covid-19 therapies, and it could be important for the longer-term management of the pandemic.”
Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral that was developed by pharmaceutical company Gilead more than a decade ago to cure an unknown “Disease X” amid fears that a global pandemic was looming.
More than a dozen NHS centres have been trialling the drug since April and results have been positive. It works by disrupting the genetic code of a virus to prevent it replicating. Many viruses reproduce in a similar way.
Until now doctors could not prescribe or use remdesivir outside of trials. But the EAMS aims to give access to promising new unlicensed medicines where there are no other options.
Allocation of the drug will be based on clinical advice and will take into consideration where it is likely to provide the greatest benefit.
However, experts said doctors would still need to use caution when prescribing it because trials were ongoing.
Stephen Evans, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The amount of evidence on remdesivir’s efficacy and safety is still limited and it’s possible it will not become licensed.”
♦ Trials to find out whether the blood plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients could help those who are sick, are being hampered because the disease is dying away, scientists said.
Yesterday, researchers in the UK began testing whether convalescent plasma – which contains powerful antibodies against coronavirus – could help speed up recovery.
Prof Peter Horby, who is leading the trial, said results may be several months away as it was becoming increasingly difficult to recruit patients.