ATLANTA (WJBF) – The Georgia Department of Public Health has stated they intend to distribute a second allotment of remdesivir to hospitals for treatment of COVID-19.
Twenty-nine hospitals in Georgia will receive the drug, enough to treat more than 300 patients, depending on the duration of an individual’s illness and treatment needs.
Remdesivir is an antiviral medicine being used to treat hospitalized patients with serious symptoms caused by COVID-19 like low oxygen levels or pneumonia.
It has been found to shorten the duration of disease in patients being treated in inpatient hospital settings. It’s given intravenously and decreases the amount of coronavirus in the body.
3,440 vials of remdesivir, able to treat approximately 310 patients, will be distributed to 29 hospitals affiliated with the following healthcare systems: Navicent, Northside, Piedmont and WellStar.
A third allotment of remdesivir in powder form is expected to arrive in Georgia by Friday.
Remdesivir has not been approved by the FDA for widespread use because it is considered investigational and it is still being studied. Remdesivir was originally developed for use against Ebola.
Clinical trials for remdesivir were done in Georgia at Emory University Hospital.
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