Gilead Sciences Inc pharmaceutical company is seen after they announced a Phase 3 Trial of the investigational antiviral drug Remdesivir in patients with severe coronavirus disease
BRUSSELS, June 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Europe’s healthcare regulator has endorsed the anti-viral drug Remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19, putting it on track to be used in EU countries.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it had recommended the drug for use in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age with pneumonia who require oxygen support.
Remdesivir, which has been used against Ebola, is currently undergoing clinical trials around the world to better understand its effects.
UK regulators approved the drug for use in selected Covid-19 hospital patients at the end of May.
Remdesivir will need final approval from the European Commission before it can be prescribed in EU countries.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there has been a weekly increase in cases in the region for the first time in months.
In 11 countries “accelerated transmission” has caused a “significant resurgence that if left unchecked will push health systems to the brink once again in Europe”, said WHO Europe director Dr Hans Kluge.
These nations have been named as Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Sweden and Ukraine.
EU ambassadors are meeting this week to discuss reopening the bloc’s external borders on July 1. One of the criteria member states are considering is only allowing in travellers from certain countries, with those suffering high infection rates – including possibly the US, Russia and Brazil – left off the safe list.
“In 11 of these countries, accelerated transmission has led to very significant resurgence that if left unchecked will push health systems to the brink once again,” Dr Kluge told a virtual news conference.
Dr Kluge said countries such as Poland, Germany, Spain and Israel had responded quickly to dangerous outbreaks associated with schools, coal mines, and food production settings, and brought them under control through rapid interventions.
Despite warning about resurgences, he said the WHO anticipated that the situation would calm down further in the majority of countries over the summer.
“But we have indeed to prepare for the fall, when Covid-19 may meet seasonal influenza, pneumonia, other diseases as well, because ultimately the virus is still actively circulating in our communities and there is no effective treatment, no effective vaccine, yet.” — NNN-AGENCIES
— NNN-AGENCIES
