American authorities have given green light to the experimental drug Remdesivir on Friday, May 1, for emergency use on seriously ill COVID-19 patients, after a major trial found that it boosted their recovery. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, was given the green light in serious COVID-19 patients. The approval of the drug initially developed to treat Ebola by US regulators is the latest step in a global push towards finding viable treatments and a vaccine for the COVID-19, which has subjected the entire world in severe affliction.
US President Donald Trump made the announced alongside Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who revealed the drug would be available for patients receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19. Remdesivir fuses itself into the virus’s genome, short-circuiting its replication process by 31% according to a government-sponsored study.
Meanwhile, Nigeria's representative at World Health Organization, WHO and a member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Dr Fiona Braka said Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of global solidarity trial of vaccines developed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts are underway to begin the process in the country.
