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THURSDAY, March 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Following severe criticism, Gilead Sciences is backing off special designation of its antiviral drug remdesivir — which shows promise against COVID-19 — that would have allowed the company to block competition and increase its profits for the drug.<\/p>\n
Gilead asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to designate remdesivir a so-called orphan drug, saying COVID-19 qualified as a rare disease because fewer than 200,000 Americans are infected with it, and the FDA granted the request on Monday, the Associated Press<\/i> reported.<\/p>\n
The company was blasted for the move, and a letter sent to the company by more than 50 consumer and patient advocacy groups stated: “COVID-19 is anything but a rare disease.” Millions of Americans are expected to eventually be infected with the coronavirus, the groups noted.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Gilead asked the FDA to rescind the orphan drug designation for remdesivir, which was originally developed for Ebola and is undergoing tests as a treatment for COVID-19, the AP<\/i> reported. Currently, there are no drugs, vaccines, or treatments approved in the United States for COVID-19. Some existing and experimental drugs are being assessed, and researchers are developing vaccines.<\/p>\n