After Remdesivir's Emergency Use Authorization, US Gov't Must Now Decide How To Distribute Limited Supply

Gilead's antiviral remdesivir will go to hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients per FDA's EUA. Some cities could receive the medicine with days, but it is not clear how the government will dole out the limited supplies. FDA said it had access to non-public data from a key NIH trial during its EUA review.

For Emergency Use Only Sign on Life Buoy with aged sign — The EUA for remdesivir is not a full approval, permitting the drug's use during the declared COVID-19 emergency only • Source: Shutterstock

The US government is taking charge of distribution for Gilead Sciences Inc.'s remdesivir under an emergency use authorization issued by the Food and Drug Administration on May 1 for the antiviral to be used in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients. But little information has been disseminated about how much drug will be available or how the government will allocate the limited supply of the investigational treatment.

The EUA came just three days after the National Institutes of Health and Gilead each released positive clinical trial data...