Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh is likely to start the use of Remdesivir for the treatment of coronavirus infected patients by May 20, said Director General of Drug Administration Major General Md Mahbubur Rahman on Thursday.
He disclosed it following a meeting with the representatives of several drug manufacturing companies at the Drug Administration at Mohakhali in the city.
Major General Rahman said different countries have claimed good results about the application of drug remdesivir for treating the coronavirus. Bangladesh has already accorded permission to eight companies to manufacture remdesivir.
The Drug Administration expects to receive Remdesivir by May 20, he said.
Remdesivir is an antiviral medication originally developed by US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola. Although the drug didn’t work well against that disease, it later showed promise fighting SARS and MERS – illnesses caused by coronaviruses – in animal studies, which is why researchers thought remdesivir might help fight COVID-19.
A recent clinical trial showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill.
However, it did not significantly improve survival rates.
The drug interferes with the virus’s genome, disrupting its ability to replicate.
The US’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating the coronavirus. Remdesivir is currently the world’s best hope for treating COVID-19. Supply of remdesivir is limited, and its currently reserved for the sickest COVID-19 patients – those with blood oxygen levels at or below 94 percent and who require supplemental oxygen.
The DG of the Drug Administration said there are two companies in Bangladesh which have the capability of manufacturing vaccines.
