US Pharma Firm Gilead To Donate 4.5 Lakh Remdesivir Vials To India

Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe disease.

American biopharmaceutical company Gilead has announced steps to expand the availability of remdesivir, a key therapeutic medicine used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, in India. Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe disease. "The recent surge of COVID-19 cases in India is having a devastating impact on communities and has created unprecedented pressure on health systems," Johanna Mercier, chief commercial officer of Gilead Sciences said on Monday. The company announced that it was providing its voluntary licensing partners technical assistance, support for addition of new local manufacturing facilities and donation of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to rapidly scale up the production of remdesivir.