The European Union has approved the use of remdesivir in the treatment of severe Coronavirus cases.
The announcement was made on Friday July 3, days after the US essentially stockpiled the entire supply of antiviral drugs from around the world. Its approval came after two major US studies showed that for COVID-19 patients, remdesivir would minimize the length of hospital stay.
In a statement EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said;
“Today’s authorisation of a first medicine to treat COVID-19 is an important step forward in the fight against this virus.
“We are granting this authorisation less than a month after the application was submitted, showing clearly the EU’s determination to respond quickly whenever new treatments become available.”
Remdesivir, which is the only anti-coronavirus drug to get the green light in the EU, was initially planned as a drug for treating Ebola. At the end of May, it was approved in the UK, with health officials outlining that it will only be used to treat the sickest patients. Treating COVID-19 is one of two drugs approved in Britain and the other is a cheap steroid called dexamethasone.