Manila LGU acquired an additional 2,000 doses of Remdesivir.
MANILA LGU — The Manila City government on Tuesday acquired an additional 2,000 doses of Remdesivir — an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19.
In a report on Manila Bulletin, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso confirmed the arrival of Remdesivir on Tuesday.
Domagoso said in a live broadcast on Facebook that his additional order of Remdesivir had arrived as the city government procured 2,000 doses last year.
According to Domagoso, the said medicine was very expensive as it was a medicine that can help treat COVID-19.
“Dumating na po ‘yong additional order ko ng Remdesivir. Kung maalala niyo noong nakaraang taon, ang inyong pamahalaang lungsod ay nakabili ng 2,000 pieces. Ay, napaka mahal po nitong gamot na ito. Ito po’y gamot na nakakatulong po ito. Nakakatulong ito sa mga virus ayon sa mga pag-aaral…nakabili uli tayo ng 2,000 vials nitong remdisivir, ‘yan po ay nakatutulong sa mga, yung medium and severe situation, nakakatulong po siya,” Domagoso said.
READ ALSO: US FDA Approves Remdesivir, Issues Emergency-use Authorization
The Manila City government acquired a “Compassionate Special Permit” (CSP) from the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last 2020 in order to be able to purchase the said medicine.
Remdesivir or Veklury was an antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences and had been approved for “temporary use as a COVID-19 treatment” in other countries.
Domagoso also said that remdesivir was not the cure for the deadly coronavirus disease but it could still help save lives.
Remdesivir, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was an antiviral medication that targeted a range of viruses which include SARS, Ebola, MERS, Marburg, and SARS-CoV-2.
According to NIH, the antiviral treatment had helped some severe COVID-19 patients to recover quicker, which was defined as “being medically stable enough to be discharged from the hospital”.
Studies suggested that Remdesivir treatment may prevent COVID-positive patients from progressing to more severe respiratory disease and also appeared that the said treatment was beneficial for “patients who were receiving supplemental oxygen.”
Domagoso said that the Manila City government was willing to lend the antiviral treatment to other hospitals in the Philippines if they needed it.
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