MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Public Health announced that additional doses of remdesivir, a drug being evaluated for the treatment of COVID-19, are being made available to Alabama hospitals.
Alabama hospitals needing the drug were provided with doses, donated by drugmaker Gilead, earlier this week. More is now on the way.
Dr. Karen Landers with ADPH explained that this is an in-patient, IV treatment for patients meeting specific criteria such as having low oxygen levels or being on a ventiliator, and the decision to use it is made by the treating physician. She said that currently, the drug appears to reduce the length of hospital stays, but more research is needed to determine if it reduces mortality rates.
