Gilead gets WHO cold shoulder for remdesivir in COVID-19, launches speedy defense

Gilead Sciences’ Veklury, better known as remdesivir, is so far the only COVID-19 therapy officially approved by the FDA, but the World Health Organization has some other ideas about the drug’s worth.

At clear odds with the FDA’s approval, the WHO has for now recommended against the use of remdesivir in any hospitalized patients—regardless of disease severity—after an expert panel said it had found no evidence that remdesivir has any meaningful effect on saving lives and other important outcomes for patients, the international body said Thursday.

A “disappointed” Gilead immediately fought back. It pointed to remdesivir’s inclusion in several other organizations’ guidelines based on data from a phase 3 trial by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which showed the drug’s use could lead to faster recovery.