Remdesivir's Efficacy in Treating New Coronavirus has Caused Little Uproar, EU may Re-evaluate Subscription Contracts

Reference News Network reported on October 18 that the United Nations Health Agency said that in the world’s largest randomized drug trial for new coronary pneumonia, there was 'conclusive evidence' that Remdesivir, the drug used by U.S. President Trump after being infected, was of have little or no effect to severe cases.
 

According to a report from the Associated Press in Geneva on October 16, the WHO announced the results of the long-awaited 'Unity Test' on the 16th. The trial lasts for half a year and aims to explore whether existing drugs are effective against new coronary pneumonia. The study tested four drugs : Redecivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir/Ritonavir and Interferon, and found that they have 'little or no impact' on whether patients die within about a month or whether hospitalized patients recover.
 

Most of these drugs have long been ruled out. However, Remdesivir is listed as a standard treatment in the United States, and the United Kingdom and the European Union have also approved its use to treat new coronary pneumonia. The European Medicines Agency is currently considering whether Remdesivir will cause kidney problems reported by some patients. Remdesivir was included in the 'cocktail therapy' received by U.S. President Trump after he tested positive for the new coronavirus.
 

The WHO said the study covered more than 30 countries and focused on the impact of treatment on overall mortality, whether patients need ventilators, and how long it took to recover. According to a Reuters report on October 16, the results of a WHO clinical trial determined that the antiviral drug Remdesivir had little or no effect on the survival rate of patients with new coronary pneumonia. Remdesivir’s American manufacturer Gilead said that this does not seem to match the results of other studies that have determined that it has clinical efficacy.
 

Gilead said. 'We are worried that the data of this open global experiment has not been rigorously reviewed, so that the scientific community will not be able to initiate constructive discussions.' But Richard Pito, an independent statistician hired by the WHO to monitor the results of the 'solidarity trial', refuted Gilead's criticism.
 

Pito told reporters, 'This is a reliable result, this is evidence of fact.'
 

According to reports, Redecivir is one of the few drugs used to treat new coronary pneumonia, and the newly announced test results of the WHO have severely damaged people's confidence in this drug. And from another report, experts said on the 16th that the EU should renegotiate a 1 billion Euro supply contract for Remdesivir that it signed with Gilead last week as the test results show that the efficacy of remdesivir is mediocre.
 

One week before the WHO announced the results of the trial, the European Commission announced the largest contract signed with Gilead so far to supply 500,000 courses of Redecive within half a year at a price of 2,070 euros per course.
 

Giannis Nazis, who represents the patient organization on the Council of the European Medicines Agency, said that the European Commission 'must explain why it has rushed to sign the latest contract with Gilead and review it based on the results of the'solidarity trial'.

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