Gilead’s Veklury recommended by NICE for COVID-19 treatment
Betsy Goodfellow | April 9, 2024 | News story | Medical Communications | COVID-19, Gilead Sciences, Infections and infestations, remdesivir
Gilead Sciences has announced that the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of Veklury (remdesivir) for the treatment of COVID-19 in eligible adults and children.
Patients eligible for treatment with this drug include hospitalised adults and children weighing over 40kg who are at a high risk of serious illness. The drug is also indicated for treating COVID-19 in children at least four weeks of age and weighing over 3kg who are in hospital with pneumonia and require supplemental oxygen.
Veklury was also the first drug for COVID-19 to gain full marketing authorisation in 2022, and has been available on a conditional license since 2020 which was granted via an Early Access Medicines Scheme.
Julian Cole, country medical director at Gilead UK & Ireland, commented: “When the COVID-19 pandemic first began, Gilead reacted quickly to develop remdesivir as a potential treatment option. Through an early access to medicine scheme, remdesivir was used in almost every UK NHS acute hospital at the height of the pandemic. NICE rightly needed to assess this treatment in a non-pandemic setting and we welcome today’s news, which provides clinicians continuity and the option for sustained use of remdesivir on the NHS. We are committed to supporting patients and communities fighting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, and we were pleased to collaborate with NICE, NHS England and other stakeholders to provide access to this treatment.”
Betsy Goodfellow
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