FDA greenlights remdesivir as first and only fully-approved treatment for COVID-19

Vials of Remdesivir.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Food and Drug Administration has given final approval to remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, making it the first and only fully-approved treatment in the U.S. for the novel coronavirus, CNBC reports. The drug has been permitted in cases of emergency use authorization since May, and was one of the medications used to treat President Trump when he was hospitalized earlier this month.

Remdesivir (sold under the brand name Veklury) is administered via an IV, and is intended for "the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization," the drugmaker, Gilead Sciences, said in a statement. While it is approved or authorized for temporary use in around 50 countries, a World Health Organization study earlier this month of some 2,750 patients found that remdesivir had "little or no effect" on death rates.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.