On October 22, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Veklury, also known as Remdesivir, as a treatment for COVID-19 infections. This is the first medication the FDA has approved to treat COVID-19 patients whose infection resulted in hospitalization.
Back in May 2020, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Veklury. An EUA is not the same as an approved medication, but it does allow for the drug to be used in hospitals to treat severe COVID-19 cases. Severe cases include infected individuals who required intensive breathing assistance, such as supplemental oxygen or a ventilator. Clinical trials showed that Veklury decreased the average recovery time in certain patients by 31%. The FDA concluded that the benefit outweighed the risk, since there were no other treatment options at the time.
On August 28, 2020, the EUA expanded its parameters to allow infected patients to receive Veklury regardless of how severe their case was. Clinical trials found that Veklury is effective in treating COVID-19 in mild, moderate, and severe cases of infection. This development also expanded access to the medication, making it more available to patients nationwide.
The latest update to the EUA is that Veklury is now an FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19 infections for adults over the age of 12 and at least eighty-eight pounds. As research continues, CorVel will continue to monitor FDA guidelines on Veklury and other COVID-19 treatment options. View CorVel’s full statement on Veklury here.
For more information about the FDA’s announcement, click here.
