WHO Recommends Veklury for COVID-19 Patients at High Risk

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its recommendation of Gilead Sciences’ Veklury (remdesivir) to include its use in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of hospitalization.

The revised recommendation was supported by a study of 562 participants in which patients who received a three-day course of the drug showed a significant reduction in hospitalization or death compared with those given a placebo.

The WHO previously advised against the use of Veklury for any COVID-19 patients, regardless of disease severity, based on the available data regarding the drug’s effects on COVID-19 deaths.

The organization is currently reviewing whether to recommend Veklury for patients with severe or critical COVID-19 infections.