The Georgia Department of Public Health recently distributed 120 vials of the drug remdesivir to Upson Regional Medical Center. Upson Regional Medical Center is one of 85 hospitals in Georgia that will receive this drug.
Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral medication that is given intravenously. Since there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications available to treat COVID-19, the FDA recently authorized the use of remdesivir under the Emergency Use Authorization Act (EUA). The EUA declares that circumstances exist to justify the emergency use of remedesivir for COVID-19 treatment in hospitalized patients. Research will continue to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this investigational drug while the EUA is in effect.
“Based on the 120 vials we have received,10-20 patients can benefit from remdesivir. Remdesivir has shown to shorten the time to recovery in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, according to preliminary studies. We are excited that our patients will have access to this new therapy, where appropriate, and its promising results,” stated Director of Pharmacy, Heather Jordan, Pharm.D.
For more information on remdesivir, visit https://www.gilead.com/purpose/advancing-global-health/covid-19/about-remdesivir. For more information about COVID-19, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus2019-ncov/index.html.