When reports of the United States securing almost all of the world’s stock of remdesivir – an investigational antiviral drug for COVID-19 – emerged, concerns over the availability of the medicine for moderate cases (on oxygen support) gripped the rest of the world.
Remdesivir, the only drug that has an emergency use authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for COVID-19, is patented by the US pharma giant Gilead Sciences. The company had first developed it to work against Ebola (where it failed), but remdesivir has now resurfaced as a potential medicine for COVID-19 treatment – even though trials are still ongoing.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced on 29 June that it had bought 100% of Giliead’s projected production for July and 90% of its production for August and September, reported CNN. In a press release, the HCC secretary Alax Azar said, “President Trump has struck an amazing deal to ensure Americans have access to the first authorised therapeutic for COVID-19.”
Owing to the patent, such a development could be worrying for high-income countries, including many European nations and China, Japan and Brazil, among others. But what does it mean for India?