Japan has approved Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, the health ministry said on Thursday, making it the country's first officially authorized drug for the coronavirus disease.
FILE PHOTO: A lab technician visually inspects a filled vial of investigational coronavirus disease treatment drug remdesivir at a Gilead Sciences facility in La Verne, California, U.S. March 11, 2020. Picture taken March 11, 2020. Gilead Sciences Inc/Handout via REUTERS.
Japan reached the decision just three days after the U.S. drugmaker filed for fast-track approval for the treatment. Remdesivir was granted authorisation last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use for the disease caused by the coronavirus. However, a steady rise in cases has put pressure on medical facilities in some parts of the country, and drug that helps patients recover more quickly could help in freeing up hospital beds.
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