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posted by martyb on Sunday July 05 2020, @09:50PM   Printer-friendly
from the all-mine dept.

US Secures World Stock of Key Covid-19 Drug Remdesivir

US Secures World Stock of Key Covid-19 Drug Remdesivir:

No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at least

The US 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.

“They’ve got access to most of the drug supply [of remdesivir], so there’s nothing for Europe,” said Dr Andrew Hill, senior visiting research fellow at Liverpool University.

Remdesivir, the first drug approved by licensing authorities in the US to treat Covid-19, is made by Gilead and has been shown to help people recover faster from the disease. The first 140,000 doses, supplied to drug trials around the world, have been used up. The Trump administration has now bought more than 500,000 doses, which is all of Gilead’s production for July and 90% of August and September.

US to buy 500,000 Remdesivir Coronavirus Treatment Courses at $2,340 Each

US to buy 500,000 remdesivir coronavirus treatment courses at $2,340 each:

The US Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to buy 500,000 remdesivir treatment courses, in the wake of clinical trials revealing the drug can help patients recover more quickly from the coronavirus. A five-day course will cost $2,340,or $3,120 for commercially insured patients, biotech firm Gilead Sciences said.

Early last month, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for remdesivir to be used in cases of COVID-19 when patients were "hospitalized with severe disease," shortly after the drug showed "clear-cut positive effect" in a US trial.

[...] "To the extent possible, we want to ensure that any American patient who needs remdesivir can get it," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a release.

[...] Gilead CEO Daniel O'Day addressed the higher price for private insurers, according to health site Stat, by noting that there are "always two prices" for a drug in the US. In an open letter, he acknowledged that the company's work on remdesivir is "far from done."

[...] He also said that countries in the developing world will get the drug at greatly reduced prices, through generic manufacturers.


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  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday July 06 2020, @07:41AM (3 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Monday July 06 2020, @07:41AM (#1016879) Journal

    you want them to die...

            Hallucinations
            Increased intensity of vision and hearing
            Sense of impending blackout or of levitation
            Dizziness, euphoria,
            Disorganization of the sense of time, changes in facial appearance
            Unconsciousness,
            Death

    happy? [wikipedia.org]

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @08:26AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @08:26AM (#1016884)

    Nitrogen narcosis requires multiple atmospheres of pressure to force the nitrogen to dissolve in blood. At 1 atm the only symptoms are drowsiness and death.

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by c0lo on Monday July 06 2020, @09:13AM (1 child)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 06 2020, @09:13AM (#1016893) Journal

    See inert gas asphyxiation [wikipedia.org].

    The minor disadvantage of the pillow method you alluded to is that it will trigger the hypercapnic alarm response [manicgrant.com] - the subject will die panicking.

    The major disadvantage: it requires the application of enough force to overpower the subject. This makes this job less open to equal opportunity, by applying a discrimination favoring muscular humans - e.g. highly unlikely a mother's basement dwelling incel could get the job of applying the pillow.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday July 07 2020, @03:12AM

      by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday July 07 2020, @03:12AM (#1017484) Journal

      Very large, muscly man enters ward... "hi, I'm the new night nurse.."

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex