Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Use Of Remdesivir Expands
One in three South Korean patients seriously ill with COVID-19 showed an improvement in their condition after being given Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral remdesivir, health authorities said. More research was needed to determine if the improvement was attributable to the drug or other factors such as patients’ immunity and other therapies, they said. (7/13)
With Covid-19 patients filling her Houston hospital, pharmacist Katherine Perez wishes she had enough remdesivir to treat all those who might benefit. In June, as Texas businesses welcomed customers and coronavirus cases surged, Houston Methodist, the hospital where she works, restricted the medication to only those patients who weren’t yet on ventilators, in the hope of making the supply last longer. Even with those narrowed criteria — and with enough vials to treat 200 more patients delivered last weekend — there still isn’t enough. (Boodman, 7/10)
Gov. Doug Ducey says Arizona will be getting 361 cases of the experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir, which appears to help patients with COVID-19 recover faster. The drug received emergency approval in May by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The shipment comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Arizona grapples with a surge of coronavirus cases around the state. (7/12)
