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Remdesivir becomes first FDA fully-approved coronavirus treatment

A bottle containing the drug Remdesivir is shown by a health worker at the Institute of Infectology of Kenezy Gyula Teaching Hospital of the University of Debrecen in Debrecen, Hungary, Thursday Oct. 15, 2020. The drug developed by the Budapest based Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter Plc., is administered to novel coronavirus patients in serious condition as a clinical test to stop the replication of the virus. (Zsolt Czegledi/MTI via AP)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

The Food and Drug Administration has approved remdesivir as a treatment for the coronavirus.

The move comes less than a week after the World Health Organization published results of a large study that suggested remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

A previous study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found the antiviral drug shortened recovery time by five days, on average. That led to the drug getting emergency use approval in the U.S, as well as many other countries.

The FDA’s decision on Thursday formally approves remdesivir as a treatment option, and makes it the first fully-approved treatment in the U.S.

None of the studies have found the drug can improve survival rates.

Remdesivir is one of the treatments President Donald Trump received when he contracted COVID-19 earlier this month. It is usually given over five days and works by helping to stop the replication of COVID-19 in the body.

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