"Remdesivir Developed for Mild Patients to Be Introduced Domestically"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Gilead Sciences Korea announced that the domestic supply of remdesivir, a treatment for severe COVID-19 patients, is sufficient. They also stated that they will introduce an inhalation type for mild patients once development is completed.

Lee Seung-woo, CEO of Gilead Sciences Korea, said at a press conference held on the 24th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, "We have been working to supply remdesivir to the domestic market, and now the supply issue has been largely resolved, so there is no problem."

Gilead Sciences Korea also announced that they will introduce the nasal inhalation type remdesivir for mild patients, which is currently in phase 1 clinical trials, once development is completed. CEO Lee said, "We will introduce the inhalation type remdesivir domestically once it is developed. However, since it is currently in phase 1 clinical trials, it is difficult to say when it will be introduced."

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences as a treatment for Ebola. In clinical trials conducted under the leadership of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) across 73 medical institutions in 10 countries worldwide, it attracted attention for reducing the recovery period of COVID-19 patients by about 31%, from 15 days to 11 days.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency signed a free supply contract for the drug with Gilead Sciences Korea, the importer of remdesivir, and began supplying it in July. Since this month, the supply has been converted to a paid basis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.