U.K. Clears Gilead Drug for Covid-19 in Early-Access Program

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. approved using Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral drug remdesivir for some patients hospitalized with Covid-19 after a study showed it can speed their recovery.

The country’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency cleared remdesivir under an early-access program. The drug was approved earlier this month in the U.S. under a similar emergency-use program amid a dearth of reliable therapies to fight the new coronavirus.

“This is a scientific opinion and should not be regarded as a medicine licensed by the MHRA or a future commitment by the MHRA to license such a medicine,” the government said in a statement Tuesday.

The drug allowed patients to return home after about 11 days, compared to 15 days for those who were treated with a placebo, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Adults and teens hospitalized in the U.K. with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infection should get a single infusion of 200 milligrams on the first day, followed by 100 milligrams for a few more days, depending on their medical situation, the MHRA said.

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