European Commission stands by €1bn remdesivir supply deal despite disappointing COVID-19 benefit
pharmafile | October 19, 2020 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | COVID-19, Europe, Gilead, remdesivir
As Europe continues to face down a rising second wave of COVID-19, the European Commission quickly moved to secure a new €1 billion supply deal with Gilead on behalf of 37 nations within the European Union and the European Economic Area to replenish rapidly diminishing stocks of remdesivir as a treatment for infection with the virus.
However, this was before the pharma firm revealed disappointing data from the large-scale Solidarity Trial which strongly suggests that the therapy presents no benefit in reducing mortality or recovery times as a result of COVID-19 infection.
Now, voices in the industry are questioning the EU’s decision to reserve at least 500,000 courses of the therapy on 8 October when it may be of limited value in fighting the virus. Particularly as Gilead was aware of the disappointing results from 6 October, according to the WHO, but said nothing due to disclosure rules around study.
Furthermore, Gilead has since revealed that, despite the disappointing showing of the therapy in treating COVID-19, it would not be lowering the drug’s price tag for wealthy nations. The company has priced a five-day course at $2,340 each.
Among others, Yannis Natsis, a Patient Representative and Member of the Management Board at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), said that the Commission “needs to present the reasons behind the rush to conclude the latest contract with Gilead and move to review it in light of the Solidarity Trial findings,” while Andrew Hill, a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, asked: “The EU should revisit the prices to be paid for remdesivir. Why pay €1 billion for a drug with no effects on survival?”
The European Commission stood by its decision, defending the need to act pre-emptively. A spokesperson for the Commission said: “As time is of the essence – we are in a situation of a public health emergency – we have to not only invest up-front in vaccine development but also in access to therapeutics.”
The spokesperson did confirm that the EMA would review the Solidarity Trial results to inform whether “any changes are needed to the way these medicines are used”, but did not comment on whether the EU had seen the trial result before signing the deal, nor whether there would be any renegotiation with Gilead on price.
Matt Fellows
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