GENEVA — A large study led by the World Health Organization suggests that the antiviral drug remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients, in contrast to an earlier study that made the medicine a standard of care in the United States and many other countries. The results announced Friday do...
Taxpayers Helped Make it, So Why Does Remdesivir Cost $3,200 a Patient?
Valley hospitals can barely keep the potential life-saving COVID-19 drug remdevisir in stock. And, when they can get it, the cost is $3,200 per patient. Fresno-based Community Medical Centers was completely out of remdevisir for 24 hours a few weeks ago. Visalia-based Kaweah Delta Medical Center — which is in...
Who Will Go to the Front of the Line for COVID-19 Vaccine?
The National Governors Association says the availability of a future COVID-19 vaccine will likely be limited due to manufacturing constraints. The NGA issued a memorandum Monday telling state leaders that difficult decisions concerning vaccine allocation and prioritization will occur. Meanwhile, shortages of the antiviral drug remdesivir may give an early indication...
Valley Children’s Hospital Says It’s Seeing More Kids With COVID-19
Like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube, Valley Children's Hospital is tired of hearing a narrative that kids aren't affected by COVID-19. Todd Suntrapak, president and CEO of Valley Children's Healthcare called statements that youngsters don't get the coronavirus or suffer consequences "a disservice to our children." Though...
Fresno County Out of COVID-19 Drug, Tired Doctors Welcome Military Help
The federal government is pushing out remdesivir as fast as it can get it, and yet Fresno County says the cupboard is bare. The potentially life-saving drug, which has anecdotally helped COVID-19 patients in the Valley, is hard to come by. The hospitals that do have it are sharing it...
New Studies Clarify What Drugs Help, Hurt for COVID-19
Fresh studies give more information about what treatments do or don’t work for COVID-19, with high-quality methods that give reliable results. British researchers on Friday published their research on the only drug shown to improve survival -- a cheap steroid called dexamethasone. Two other studies found that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine does...
Health Experts Slam US Hoarding of COVID Treatment Remdesivir
LONDON — Health experts on Wednesday slammed the U.S. decision to hog nearly the entire global supply of remdesivir, the only drug licensed so far to treat COVID-19, warning that type of selfish behavior sets a dangerous precedent for attempts to share scarce treatments amid the pandemic. The U.S. government...
Gilead's $2,340 Price for Coronavirus Drug Draws Criticism
The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill COVID-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed countries. Gilead Sciences announced the price Monday for remdesivir, and said...
Fresno Hospitals at or Beyond Capacity Because of COVID-19: Dr. Vohra
State figures show Fresno County's hospitalized COVID-19 patients have increased by more than 48% in the last two weeks. Eight more patients have gone into intensive care over the last 14 days — leaving 28% of the county's ICU beds available. Listen to this article: Fresno County interim health officer...
Gilead Says Drug Helped Moderately Ill Coronavirus Patients
A California biotech company says its experimental drug remdesivir improved symptoms when given for five days to moderately ill, hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Gilead Sciences gave few details on Monday but said full results would soon be published in a medical journal. Remdesivir is the only treatment that’s been shown...