In the United States, remdesivir, the only drug known to work against COVID-19, is going to run out of supply at the end of this month, according to Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The last shipment of the drug will go out in the last week of June. Gilead Sciences, which makes remdesivir, is ramping up the production; however, it is unclear how much will be available this summer.
Dr. Kadlec told CNN, “Right now, we’re waiting to hear from Gilead what is their expected delivery availability of the drug as we go from June to July. We’re kind of not in negotiations, but in discussions with Gilead as they project what the availability of their product will be.”
Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced emergency approval for remdesivir, an antiviral drug that was actually developed for the treatment of Ebola but now it has been used on coronavirus patients.
The government is working to help Gilead “with some of their supply chain challenges in terms of raw materials and being able to accelerate the process,” Dr. Kadlec said, adding that it is clear “whatever the supply may be, there may not be enough for everyone who may need it.”
Dr. Kadlec explained that Gilead has given a “general range” of drug delivery for July and August, which then “significantly expands beginning in September, October, and through the fall as they kind of open the spigot of their production and processing.”
Gilead said it is planning to have more than 500,000 treatment courses available by October, and over a million by the end of this year.
The company said on its website, “Post-donation, the company will work closely with governments and healthcare systems to provide access for healthcare providers to prescribe remdesivir for appropriate patients.”
Sonia Choi, the spokesperson of Gilead, told CNN, “We plan to work with the U.S. government to determine distribution of remdesivir post-donation.” In May, government officials started distributing a supply of remdesivir donated by Gilead. The HHS said the company has offered 940,000 vials of the drug. And now that the free supply is almost over, the officials have raised concerns, stating that the company may charge a high price.
