BY MINKA TIANGCO
The Manila city government purchased 2,000 vials of remdesivir, a drug that is used to treat coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients, the city mayor announced Thursday night.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said the antiviral drug can be used to treat almost 200 of the city’s COVID-19 patients with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms.
Although it is not a guaranteed cure for the disease, studies show it can help speed up the recovery of COVID-19 patients, Domagoso said.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Rolando Enrique Domingo recently said there is “positive feedback” on remdesivir, based on the initial results of a World Health Organization (WHO)-led solidarity trial.
The city government spent around R13 million to procure the remdesivir from Mylan, the pharmaceutical firm that created the drug.
The Manila mayor said they were able to buy each vial for P6,500, lower than its original price of nearly P20,000. (Mynka Tiangco)
