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Remdesivir, given to half of hospitalized covid patients in U.S., is big win for Gilead boosted by taxpayers
It was the end of April just as the U.S. confirmed its millionth covid-19 case and 50,000 deaths when White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci announced highly significant news about a drug called remdesivir.
That was surprising because the antiviral drug, owned by Gilead Sciences and developed with investment from the federal government, had languished for years with no apparent commercial use. It had struck out as a treatment for hepatitis C and Ebola.
But early in 2020, when the first global cases of a new pneumonia-like viral illness emerged in China, Gilead resurfaced the compound, branded as Veklury, and shared it with scientists across the globe. From the Oval Office, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said remdesivir would be the standard of care for treating coronavirus disease.
COVID-19 drug remdesivir has been a big win for Gilead - with a boost from taxpayers
Sarah Jane Tribble
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Remdesivir, owned by Gilead Sciences of Foster City, was developed with investment from the federal government.Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle 2020Show MoreShow Less
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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whom President Biden has named as his pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, has looked into remdesivir pricing.Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press 2019Show MoreShow Less
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Dr. Rochelle Walensky became director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday. She has looked into the pricing of remdesivir.Susan Walsh/Associated PressShow MoreShow Less
GHTC delivers statement on antimicrobial resistance at WHO Executive Board meeting
The following statement from Global Health Council, supported by the Global Health Technologies Coalition and the Infectious Diseases Society of America was delivered at the 148th session of the WHO Executive Board on Agenda Item 9: Antimicrobial resistance.
The Global Health Council, Global Health Technologies Coalition, and Infectious Diseases Society of America thank the chair and distinguished delegates for this opportunity to comment on the ongoing work against resistance to antimicrobials from a large span of bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal microorganisms.
According to a recent
Lancet study, bacterial infections unsuccessfully treated due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) claim at least 700,000 lives per year worldwide and are projected to be associated with the deaths of 10 million people per year by 2050.