V.I. CONSORTIUM – The U.S.V.I. will be among the early jurisdictions to receive a shipment of the new COVID-19 drug Remdesivir this week, said Governor Albert Bryan on Monday during the regular coronavirus updates from Government House.
Remdesivir is the only drug given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with the potentially deadly respiratory disease.
Mr. Bryan said a case of the anti-viral is expected.
“The National Institute of Health and Dr. Anthony Fauci have indicated marked progress of this medication improving the health outcomes of COVID-positive patients,” Governor Bryan said. “There is a limited supply that will serve our immediate needs, but we have more coming as soon as they ramp-up the production.”
Preliminary analysis of a study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases showed that hospitalized COVID-19 patients taking Remdesivir had a speedier recovery than patients taking a placebo—though the reported benefit was moderate, with remdesivir patients recovering in 11 days, or four days faster than the placebo group, according to the Wall Street Journal.