Remdesivir Manufacturer CEO "Donates All 1.5 Million Initial Supply Bottles"

Daniel O'Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences (center in the photo) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Remdesivir, known as a treatment for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), announced that it will donate all 1.5 million initial doses free of charge. This amount is known to be sufficient to treat approximately 100,000 to 200,000 patients.

Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences, said in an interview with CBS in the United States on the 3rd (local time), "We have donated all 1.5 million initial doses, which is enough to treat 100,000 to 200,000 people," adding, "Starting early next week, shipments sufficient to treat tens of thousands of patients will begin, and we plan to distribute them in cooperation with the government to the most vulnerable cities and patients."

CEO O’Day also stated that Gilead Sciences expects to supply more Remdesivir in the second half of 2020. He emphasized, "We are working closely with the U.S. government and many governments worldwide," and added, "Regarding allocation of Remdesivir doses, after supplying to patients in the U.S., as a global pharmaceutical company, we are coordinating with the U.S. government on whether to supply to other countries around the world."

Earlier, on the 1st, Steven Hahn, Director of the FDA, announced that Gilead’s Remdesivir received approval for use in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients. At that time, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stated that the drug would be distributed starting from the 4th. Recent research led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that Remdesivir can shorten the treatment period for some COVID-19 patients to as little as four days.

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