WHO abandons Madagascar Covid-19 Organic as US remdesivir gains popularity in Africa, Europe , other parts of the world

In the race to beat covid-19 ravaging the world with a potent drug, the first successful drug candidate has taken over the world in no time, knocking the locally touted Covid-19 drugs Madagascar initially pushed as Africa’s solution for the world.

The World Health Organisation spoke favourably about remdesivir in May, welcoming the drug’s recent data from a U.S. government-run clinical trial.

The drug appeared to be effective in reducing recovery times for Covid-19 patients, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said at a news conference at the agency’s Geneva headquarters.

“There’s signals of hope there for the potential use of the drug,” he said.

Not much has been heard about the Covid-19 tonic the African country has brought forward despite the generosity of President Andry Rajoelina in flooding many of the African countries with the liquid now manufactured in tablets too.

Rajoelina has protested if the herb had originated from Europe, it would have gained popularity across the world.

But Britain and Germany said Wednesday they had sufficient stocks of remdesivir, following the US decision to buy up all the supply Gilead Laboratory, the manufacturer, will produce till September.

The US government announced this week that it had bought 92 percent of all remdesivir production by the Gilead laboratory until the end of September — about 500,000 treatments out of nearly 550,000. Each treatment requires 6.25 vials on average.

President Donald Trump “has struck an amazing deal to ensure Americans have access to the first authorized therapeutic for COVID-19,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.

The drug was approved in the United States on May 1 after clinical trials showing it reduced the recovery time for seriously ill Covid-19 patients by four days, and Europe is set to approve it soon.

Washington’s buy-up raised concerns about a shortage in the rest of the world, but at least two European countries said Thursday that they were not worried.

“The UK has been using remdesivir for some time, first in trials and now in the early access to medicines scheme. The UK currently has sufficient stock,” the British Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

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In Germany, a health ministry spokesman said “the government secured stocks of remdesivir early on for the treatment of corona patients. At the moment, there are sufficient reserves.”

The Gilead laboratory has indicated that it granted free licenses to nine manufacturers of generic drugs in India, Pakistan and Egypt, which will have the right to distribute their versions of remdesivir in 127 countries, mainly in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Central America.

Gilead boss Daniel O’Day said in May that remdesivir made in the US could also be exported.

Experts say that worldwide production should increase to meet demand.

“If you are worried that you or a loved one will need this drug and it won’t be available if you are not in the US, I don’t think that will be the case (and I certainly hope not),” Farasat Bokhari, associate professor in economics at the University of East Anglia, said.

“Manufacturers in other countries are going to ramp up production. The only issue is how fast they can do it.”