First FDA-licensed Remdesivir doses arrive in Vietnam
VOV.VN - Approximately 10,000 vials of Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for COVID-19 treatment arrived in Vietnam on August 5 evening.
A Malaysian Airlines plane touched down Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City in the evening, bringing the special drug to Vietnam.
This is the first consignment of the 1 million doses of Remdesivir that India has agreed to deliver to Vietnam following negotiations between the Vietnamese Embassy in India and Remdesivir manufacturers of India.
Half of the total were purchased by Vingroup, a leading multisectoral conglomerate in Vietnam. Vingroup earlier announced it will donate 500,000 doses for the ongoing fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said the Agency of Health Examination and Treatment is to include Remdesivir in the treatment protocol for COVID-19 patients. The drug will then be distributed to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and several other localities that are hard hit by the latest coronavirus outbreak.
Remdesivir, a much-sought-after antiviral drug, is manufactured by India’s Cipla Pharmaceutical Company with permission granted by US-based Gilead Sciences, the developer of the drug.
The drug is used for treating COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe symptoms. It has been used in more than 50 countries and territories worldwide such as the United States, the European Union, Japan, Singapore, and India.
