Coronavirus: US authorises Ebola drug for COVID-19 treatment
- The United States's Food and Drug Administration has authorised the emergency use of remdesivir for treating COVID-19
- A recent clinical trial revealed that the drug helps shorten the recovery time for COVID-19 patients who are seriously ill
- The company producing remdesivir, which was originally developed for Ebola drug, said it will donate 1.5 million vials of the drug
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The United States's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating the novel coronavirus.
BBC explains that the authorisation means that the anti-viral drug can now be used on people who are hospitalised with severe Covid-19.
Legit.ng gathers that a recent clinical trial showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill.
Source: UGC
The BBC report, however, states that the drug did not significantly improve survival rates.
The drug was originally developed to treat Ebola. Though it helped reduce the recovery time for COVID-19 patients, experts warned that remdesivir should not be seen as a "magic bullet" for treating coronavirus.
In a meeting with the US President Donald Trump, Daniel O'Day, the chief executive of Gilead pharmaceutical company which developed the drug said the FDA authorisation was an important first step.
He disclosed that the company would donate 1.5 million vials of the drug.
According to BBC, emergency FDA authorisation is not the same as formal approval, which requires a higher level of review.
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In another related report, a German pharmaceutical company, BioNTech, has started testing a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus on human volunteers.
According to Al Jazeera, BioNTech said on Wednesday, April 29, that 12 participants of a clinical trial in Germany received doses of the vaccine candidate BNT162 since April 23.
Legit.ng gathers that the German company is working with the US-based company, Pfizer.
BioNTech said the next step it will take in the vaccine production is to start increasing the dose of BNT162 in a trial involving about 200 participants aged 18 to 55.
Also, President Trump has claimed he has seen evidence that gives him a "high degree of confidence" the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China.
The US president who made the allegation on Thursday, April 30, however, declined to provide details to substantiate his claim.
Trump's claim contradicted a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Veteran Nollywood actress, Hilda Dokubo, is not pleased with the lifting of the total movement restriction in the country during the raging coronavirus pandemic.
The actress took to her Instagram handle to question President Muhammadu Buhari's motivation for easing the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja.
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The activist who has been vocal about the government claimed some people are lying to the president about what is actually going down.
According to her, someone is lying to the president, and he cannot be allowed to reach decisions on the strength of a lie.
The actress went on to charge Nigerians to take responsibility for their safety and life. Her Instagram video was captioned: "Who is lying to the President?
"They have relaxed the lockdown. Your safety and life is now in your hands. Do not relax! Corona virus is not relaxing. Observe all the safety protocols. Any attempt to believe their lies"
She started the video by saying: "Who exactly is lying to the president, who? The president has announced the easing of the lockdown on the strength of a lie, who is lying to the president?...."
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