Pavel Burian
Yesterday EuropeHealth Ministry approves use of experimental drug
Doctors will be able to use the experimental drug Remdesivir for a patient who is in a critical condition with COVID-19 in the General University Hospital in Prague. The American company Gilead, which manufactures it, approved the inclusion of the patient in its program and has already sent the drug to the Czech Republic. The hospital hasn’t received it yet.
The Department of Health temporarily authorized the use of the experimental drug Remdesivir this week. The US firm assigns it to a patient-specific request as described by their condition.
“The parent company in America has confirmed that it is sending the drug to the Czech Republic and that in the Czech Republic does not yet have information on its delivery.”
“It only depends on how the traffic between the United States and Europe works, which is undoubtedly more complicated than ever before. Nobody has expected that the drug will travel across the ocean at a time when traffic restrictions are so high. The delay may be due to this,” said Roman Prymula, chairman of the Central Crisis Staff.
The medicine will be given to a patient who is in CFA with COVID-19 and is in serious condition. The American company first had to approve his inclusion in the program, where he would be given the medicine. The Na Bulovce Hospital also asked for treatment for one patient in serious condition.
Temporary authorization for the use of medicine is valid for six months. The ministry’s document states that “the medicine is intended for patients in the Czech Republic who have a confirmed COVID-19 infection, are hospitalized, and their condition requires artificial ventilation.” The hospital must also provide informed consent from the patient to receive an experimental, officially unapproved drug.
There are now 774 people in the Czech Republic who have been confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus. According to Thursday’s information of the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch, 63 are affected in hospitals, five of them in serious condition.
