Scientists world over have been working day and night to find an end for the deadly coronavirus, which has killed more than 43,000 people in the UK. A drug called Remdesivir is among a handful which scientists and the World Health Organization consider to be promising, and has gone on sale.

What is Remdesivir?

Remdesivir is an experimental antiviral drug produced by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead.

The drug was initially used as a potential treatment for the Ebola virus, which sparked a crisis in Africa several years ago.

The drug has been rapidly pushed through clinical trials after showing promising results in tests and was then rolled out more widely in affected areas of Africa.

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The drug is administered via daily infusion for about ten days, although scientists are also working on producing it to be administered by an inhaler.

But now the USA has bought up virtually all the stocks for the next three months of one of the two drugs proven to work against COVID-19, leaving none for the UK, Europe or most of the rest of the world.

Experts and campaigners are alarmed both by the US unilateral action on remdesivir and the wider implications, for instance in the event of a vaccine becoming available.

The Trump administration has already shown that it is prepared to outbid and outmanoeuvre all other countries to secure the medical supplies it needs for the US, despite the President denying coronavirus is much of a problem in the USA.

Does Remdesivir work?

In a trial of more than 1,000 patients, those given Remdesivir improved after an average of 11 days, compared with an average of 15 days for those not given the treatment.

No statistically significant improvement in survival rate between the two groups was found.

It is not clear how much stock pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has available to treat UK patients.

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How will the NHS use Remdesivir?

Matt Hancock has announced a new trial of the drug involving selected NHS patients with coronavirus.

UK regulators say there is enough evidence to approve its use in selected COVID-19 hospital patients.

For the time being and due to limited supplies, it will go to those most likely to benefit.

The US and Japan have already made similar urgent arrangements to provide early access to the medicine before they have a marketing agreement.

The drug is currently undergoing clinical trials in the UK and around the world.

The drug is administered via daily infusion for about ten days, although scientists are also working on producing it to be administered by an inhaler.

Currently, Remdesivir has not been approved by health authorities around the world and supply is low.

However, Gilead has indicated they are planning to produce a million units by the end of this year.

Despite not being fully approved by the FDA in America, it is still being used in clinical trials, and many countries have been scrambling for access to the drug for use in their own studies.

Interest in Remdesivir began last month when US immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci promoted the preliminary findings, inspiring hope in the treatment.

Speaking at the White House, Dr Fauci said: “The data shows that Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery.

Dr Stephen Griffin from the University of Leeds Medical School, said it is the most promising treatment for coronavirus so far.

Speaking to the BBC, he said:”Whilst this is clearly the most ethically sound approach, it also means that we ought not to expect the drug to immediately act as a magic bullet.

“We can instead hope for improved recovery rates and a reduction in patient mortality, which we hope will benefit as many patients as possible.”

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