Contemporary politics,local and international current affairs, science, music and extracts from the Queensland Newspaper "THE WORKER" documenting the proud history of the Labour Movement.
MAHATMA GANDHI ~ Truth never damages a cause that is just.
Thursday, 2 July 2020
US criticised for hoarding world's supply of coronavirus drug remdesivir.
Remdesivir is the only drug approved as a treatment for COVID-19 in the US and Europe.(Reuters: Ulrich Perrey)
Health experts have slammed the United States for hoarding almost all of the world's supply of remdesivir, the only drug licensed so far to treat COVID-19, warning that type of selfish behaviour sets a dangerous precedent for attempts to share scarce treatments amid the pandemic.
Key points:
The head of the Danish Medicines Agency said the move could endanger Europeans
The UK and Germany say they have stockpiles of the drug
Early trials found patients hospitalised with COVID-19 who received it recovered more quickly than those who didn't
The US Government announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump had struck "an amazing deal" to buy the drug made by Gilead Sciences, for Americans.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Mr Trump had secured 500,000 treatments of the drug through September, representing 100 per cent of Gilead's July production capacity and 90 per cent of its capacity in August and September.
Thomas Senderovitz, head of the Danish Medicines Agency, told Danish broadcaster DR that the move could endanger Europeans and others down the road.
"That a company chooses to sell their stock to only one country, it's very strange and quite inappropriate.
"Right now we have enough to make it through the summer if the intake of patients is as it is now.
"If a second wave comes, we may be challenged."
Manufacturer likely under 'certain political pressures'
Ohid Yaqub, a senior lecturer at the University of Sussex in the UK called the news of the US buyout "disappointing".
Peter Horby, who is running a large clinical trial testing several treatments for COVID-19, told the BBC that "a stronger framework" was needed to ensure fair prices and access to key medicines for people and nations around the world.
Dr Horby said that as an American company, Gilead was likely under "certain political pressures locally".
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman, James Slack, declined to criticise the US for the move, but said the UK had a stockpile of remdesivir.
"The UK has been using remdesivir for some time, first in trials and now in the 'Early Access to Medicines Scheme,'" Mr Stack said.
He added that Britain had a "sufficient stock" of remdesivir for patients who need it, but didn't specify how much that was.
Germany has 'sufficient reserves'
Germany had secured enough supplies for now but was banking on developer Gilead to meet future needs, the country's Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
"The Federal Government has early on secured remdesivir for the treatment of coronavirus patients. Currently, there are still sufficient reserves," Germany's Health Ministry told Reuters in a written statement.
With a conditional market approval, which is expected to be issued by the EU Commission this week, comes an obligation to deliver sufficient quantities in the future, it added.
"We trust Gilead will meet this obligation," the ministry said.
Gilead has linked up with generic drug-makers based in India and Pakistan to supply remdesivir in 127 developing countries, but it has not discussed its supply strategy for developed nations outside the US.
The US has the worst outbreak in the world, with 2.6 million reported infected and 127,000 confirmed virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci told senators on Tuesday that the US outbreak was "going in the wrong direction" and he feared the country could see 100,000 new infections a day if things didn't improve.
No comments:
Post a Comment