Gilead Sciences received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Association to begin trials of an easier to administer, inhaled version of remdesivir — the potential COVID-19 drug, CEO Daniel O’Day said in an open letter Monday.
Studies have shown that remdesivir helps reduce the recovery period in patients with COVID-19. One of the first to show effectiveness against COVID-19 in humans, the drug was given emergency use authorization by many countries including the U.S. and is presently being administered intravenously through daily infusions at the hospitals.
The CEO of the California based bio-pharmaceutical firm believes success of an inhaled version of the drug could spell hope.
“An inhaled formulation would be given through a nebulizer, which could potentially allow for easier administration outside the hospital, at earlier stages of disease,” O’Day wrote in the open letter. “That could have significant implications in helping to stem the tide of the pandemic.”
The company plans to begin the trial in COVID-19 patients by August.
In the letter, the Gilead CEO also announced that the company plans on producing over 2 million courses of remdesivir by the end of 2020. They have set up voluntary licensing agreements with nine generic manufacturers to ramp up supply across the world, the letter explained.
However, it continues to be unclear how many courses will be available this summer.
The government’s current supply of remdesivir is expected to run out by June 29, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson confirmed. “We are currently in conversations with Gilead to determine how their anticipated inventory of 2 million doses by year’s end will be allocated and when,” the spokesperson said.
Gillead says it will also test the drug in pediatric patients and study it in pregnant women. The firm says that it will conduct a clinical trial and treat approximately 50 children, from newborns to adolescents, who are hospitalized with COVID-19.
