It has been revealed that the US has bought most of the worlds supply of Remdesivir, one of only two drugs known to help treat Coronavirus.
The drug was previously used to treat Ebola.
The drug was previously used to great Hep C and Ebola, but has now since been used to treat the virus that’s sweeping the globe right now; COVID-19.
The drug isn’t a cheap one; and the company has agreed to send most of its supplies over to the US in the next 3 months. Average treatment costs using the drug is about £1,892 per patient in weather countries such as the UK and USA. This, according to experts, means us in the UK won’t have access to the drug until at least October.
Dr Andrew Hill, a senior visiting research fellow at Liverpool University, said: “This deal that’s been struck by America means that people with COVID-19 in the UK can’t get access to these treatments that would get them out of hospital quickly and might improve their chances of survival.
“So far, we know that for the next three months there will be no supplies of remdesivir – America will take the drugs and we won’t have access to them. That’s the case in the UK and Europe.”
It seems the US are starting to really take action, after reports suggested that the USA could hit 100,000 new cases a day in coming days and weeks; a scary prospect.
The drug in question is good at stopping the virus replicate, so good in fact that the time symptoms affect present for reduces by days if you’re taking the drug. Matt Hancock, the health Secretary, described the use of remdesivir as the “biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus since the crisis began”, and the NHS even had plans to give it to those suffering severely in hospitals because of the virus, but it seems the US have stopped that from happening for the time being.
But don’t be too disheartened, as another drug, dexamethasone, which is a common steroid, has shown promise when treating patients too, and unlike remdesivir, it’s widespread across the world, cheap to make, and easy to get your hands on.
