Washington: The US food and drug regulatory body has allowed emergency use of an investigational anti-viral drug to treat COVID-19 patients after some researches, including one led by an Indian-American physician, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the use of investigational anti-viral Remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
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The authorisation came after researches, including one led by Indian-American physician Aruna Subramanian, reported Remdesivir shortened the recovery times in people who have fallen ill from the new coronavirus.
"I'm pleased to announce that Gilead now has an EUA (emergency use authorisation) from the FDA for Remdesivir," US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.
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Trump said that EUA is an important treatment for hospitalised coronavirus patients.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that this is a significant step forward in battling COVID-19.
The EUA allows for Remdesivir to be distributed in the US and administered intravenously by health care providers, as appropriate, to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe condition.
PTI
