FDA approves antiviral drug remdesivir as coronavirus treatment

The Food and Drug Administration granted approval of remdesivir, an antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences and a treatment for COVID-19.

The drug, sold under the name Veklury, will be used for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, Gilead said. It is the first coronavirus disease treatment to receive FDA approval.

“The approval of Veklury marks an important milestone in efforts to help address the pandemic by offering an effective treatment that helps patients recover faster and, in turn, helps preserve scarce healthcare resources,” said Dr. Barry Zingman, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

The drug, typically administered in five doses, has been shown to shorten coronavirus recovery times. Meanwhile, a World Health Organization-sponsored global study has found that four drugs that have been used to treat COVID-19 have no effect. Those drugs include remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, interferon, and HIV drug combination lopinavir-ritonavir.