FG gives condition for use of Ebola drug to treat covid-19
A drug originally designed for the treatment of Ebola appears to be gradually getting global endorsement for the treatment of coronavirus. Early last week, the United States (US) announced that it had arranged for the entire stock of Remdesivir for the next three months to be delivered to it.
US is among the countries worst hit by coronavirus otherwise known as Covid-19.
The European Union (EU), on its part, at the weekend, approved the use of the drug to treat severe cases of coronavirus.
But FG said, yesterday, it will only consider the inclusion of Remdesivir in its Covid-19 treatment protocol based on further evidence and relevant processes in the country.
There is, of recent, a spike in the cases of coronavirus in the country, especially since the lockdown was eased and testing for the virus scaled up.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said: “Although Remdesivir has been authorised for emergency use in the US by the US Food and Drug Administration, its safety and efficacy for COVID-19 use has not been fully established”.
