The FDA today authorized the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for some non-hospitalized adults and pediatric patients with mild to moderate COVID symptoms.
A medical worker in full PPE works on a patient who has COVID in a negative pressure room in the ICU ward at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Jan. 4. Photo: Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Imagesthe antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for some non-hospitalized adults and pediatric patients with mild to moderate COVID symptoms.
The drug can be administered via intravenous infusion for a total of three days and can help reduce risk of hospitalization for high-risk patients, according to the FDA. It is, however, not a substitute for vaccination, which the FDA says remains the strongest preventative measure."[T]oday’s actions bolster the arsenal of therapeutics to treat COVID-19 and respond to the surge of the Omicron variant," Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
The FDA's approval will give people a treatment option "outside of a traditional inpatient hospital setting, including at skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare settings and outpatient facilities such as infusion centers."
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