NAIROBI, Kenya, July 12 – With the world almost getting crippled with the COVID-19, scientists continue to work round the clock to find a treatment that will help turn the tide.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) globally there are 19 potential COVID-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials.
South Africa is the first African country to start a clinical trial with the Wits University testing a vaccine developed by Oxford Jenner Institute. Trials for the vaccine are ongoing in the United Kingdom and Brazil.
Dozens of medicines are in clinical trials in China and now in the U.S to treat the disease.
Some are antiviral drugs that are already used to narrowly target other viruses.
One such drug is the antiviral medicine, remdesivir which is set to be manufactured and distributed in Kenya.
Cipla through a landmark agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc. has been granted a license to manufacture and distribute the antiviral medicine, remdesivir, in Kenya as well as the 127 countries.
As many of these emerging markets face obstacles in accessing healthcare, Cipla will expand supply to several Sub-Saharan African countries including KENYA.
The Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for remdesivir was first issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 1 May 2020 mainly based upon a study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the USA.
This study showed that remdesivir shortened the time to recovery in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Remdesivir works by inhibiting an enzyme known as an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which many RNA viruses including coronaviruses use to replicate themselves.
This authorization for emergency use was granted by the FDA on the basis that SARS-CoV-2 can cause a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, their view that the known and potential benefits of remdesivir outweigh the known and potential risks, and the fact that there is currently no adequate approved alternative treatment available for COVID-19.
Remdesivir is also approved for emergency and compassionate use in India, Japan and Singapore on similar grounds.
More recently, on 25 June 2020, remdesivir was recommended for a conditional marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency, a regulatory mechanism to facilitate early access to medicines that fulfill an unmet medical need, including in emergency situations in response to public health threats such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Commercial head of Cipla in Sub-Saharan Africa, Martin Sweeney, says: “As part of our ethos of Caring for Life, Cipla always aims to ensure that everyone has access to life-saving medication.”
“We are committed to help find a solution in the fight against this unprecedented global pandemic. CIPLA will, therefore, ensure that the price of its remdesivir will be less than or similar to prices offered in other emerging markets, facilitating access to this medicine,” she noted.
Cipla commenced manufacturing of remdesivir last week on a dedicated line at one of its FDA-, WHO- and Pharmacy and Poisons Board(PPB)-approved production facilities.
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