FDA Fully Approves First Drug to Treat COVID-19

As COVID-19 cases have risen to embarrassingly high levels in El Paso, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of remdesivir to treat coronavirus.  To be clear, this antiviral medication which is also know as Veklury only helps treat this disease by cutting down the recovery time.  Remdesivir does not prevent COVID-19 nor is it being touted as a cure.

This particular medication has actually been available since the Spring, but the FDA had only given authorization to use it in emergency situations.  Now that it has gone through all of its clinical trials and received full approval from the FDA, this particular medication may help with making hospital beds available as it tends to cut the current approximate recovery time of 15 days down to an average of 10 days.

Doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and others have been doing everything possible to keep up with the surge of positive cases and hospitalizations.  This drug may ultimately end up allowing health professionals to treat more people since it has the potential to speed up turnaround time between treating existing and new patients.

Veklury or remdesivir is currently approved for people requiring hospitalization that are at least 12 years of age and weigh a minimum of 88 pounds.

I think we understand that we all have a ways to go before getting a handle on the pandemic but this is welcome news to those who may have been starting to feel anxious about the perceived lack of COVID specific medication available.  Hopefully more news of this kind will continue to trickle out in the coming days, weeks, months, etc.  Until then, keep wearing your masks, washing your hands, and practicing social distancing.  The best thing we can do is take the necessary steps to help ourselves so that hopefully, a hospitalization is not required.