Romania will receive from the European Commission 25,157 doses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, to treat coronavirus patients, the Health Ministry said.

Remdesivir is a treatment against COVID-19 for adults and adolescents from age 12 with pneumonia, who require supplemental oxygen. 

At the end of July, the European Commission signed a contract with pharmaceutical company Gilead to secure treatment doses of Veklury, the first medicine authorized at the EU level for treatment of COVID-19. From early August onward, batches of Veklury will be made available to member states and the UK, with the coordination and support of the European Commission.

The doses will be delivered to Romania in three tranches. 

The first batch, scheduled for August 7, covers 6,026 doses. More than 1,200 eligible patients can be treated with this, at five doses per patient. Another 10,336 doses for 2,067 eligible patients are scheduled to arrive in a second tranche, on September 11. A third tranche, scheduled for October 9, will bring another 8,795 doses for 1,759 eligible patients. 

The allotment of doses takes into account the number of cases reported at 14 days. The last two tranches will be evaluated according to the evolution of the epidemic. Romania received the second-highest quantity after Spain, the Health Ministry said.

The Commission's Emergency Support Instrument will finance the contract with Gilead, worth a total of EUR 63 million. This will ensure the treatment of approximately 30,000 patients presenting severe COVID-19 symptoms. It will help cover the current needs over the next few months, while ensuring a fair distribution at EU level, based on an allocation key, taking into account the advice from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

The drug is already used in Romania as part of a clinical trial. It is only available in a few hospitals after the producer offered the country 640 doses, Libertatea reported. 

(Photo: Alexandru Daniel Pavalache/ Dreamstime)

editor@romania-insider.com