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<ul><li>A single vial of Remdesivir is being sold for ₹30,000 on the black market in India. This is ten times the retail price.</li><li>Even if you’re willing to cough up the exorbitant amount, there’s still a chance that someone with deeper pockets could outbid you.</li><li>The circulation of Remdesivir in the black market extends right from the distributor to doctors in smaller private hospitals.</li></ul>The black market for drugs that could treat COVID-19 is surging in India, especially when it comes to Remdesivir. A single vial is going for up to ₹30,000. So, if a critical patient needs six vials for treatment, which is the norm, they would have to shell out ₹1,80,000 in order to procure the required dosage. That’s more than ten times the price on the regulated market. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Name of the company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Brand name for Remdesivir </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Maximum retail price (MRP) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cadila Healthcare </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">REMDAC </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹899 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Syngene International </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">RemWin </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,450 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dr Reddy’s Laboratories </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">REDYX </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,700 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cipla </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">CIPREMI </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3,000 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Mylan Pharmaceuticals </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DESREM </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3,400 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Jubilant Generics </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">JUBI-R </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3,400 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hetero Healthcare </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVIFOR </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3,490 </td></tr></tbody></table> Remdesivir is not proven to help in recovery from the Coronavirus, but it is one of the few treatment methods that has been approved by the Indian government. "There are very few drugs which have been authorised by the government. Remdesivir is one of them, even though there is no certainty that this will work or not," a doctor at a government hospital in India told Business Insider. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="You maybe ready to pay a higher price — but you could still be outbid" comment="subhead" text="You maybe ready to pay a higher price — but you could still be outbid">You maybe ready to pay a higher price — but you could still be outbid</cmsannotation> Hansa’s (named changed to protect identity) uncle is in Delhi, in a critical condition, and the doctors have prescribed Remdesivir in hopes of treatment. The only problem is that no licensed pharmacy in Delhi seems to have it in stock. “We were supposed to get six vials in the morning for ₹35,000 through a doctor contact. Turns out somebody was ready to pay ₹50,000 for them and the vials went to them,” she told Business Insider India. “Another doctor told us that procured six vials for ₹80,000 for another patient.” And these prices are just the lower end of the stick. Aakash (named changed) told Business Insider he can procure a single vial for ₹30,000. In the bargaining process, he did highlight that vials are also available for ₹15,000 to ₹26,000 apiece, but not in Delhi. Anyone who wanted Remdesivir at those prices would have to procure it from outside the city. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How to buy Remdesivir on the black market?" comment="subhead" text="How to buy Remdesivir on the black market?">How to buy Remdesivir on the black market?</cmsannotation> Just like with other deals on the black market, what matters is who you know. The right connections and the right amount of trust can open a lot of doors. For the common man, the best bet is just to keep in touch with their doctors. Doctors know everyone down the supply chain and can help a patient, who is truly in need, get in touch with a supplier who may possibly have Remdesivir. Someone who doesn’t have a well-connected doctor is likely to reach out within his friend’s group. And, eventually, someone will know someone, who may be able to get them in touch with a supplier. But trust has a greater role to play here. “The first question he asked me was, who needs it? I told him it was for someone special, who can be trusted. He only agreed to let me have the vials if I could vouch for my friend,” Aakash told Business Insider. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The private hospital game" comment="subhead" text="The private hospital game">The private hospital game</cmsannotation> Sources who have bought Remdesivir by getting in touch with their doctors insist that doctors are not taking a commission. But distributors on the other end of the supply chain have a different story to tell. According to workers at distribution companies, doctors at government hospitals are prepared to treat patients even with alternative medicines available in the market — like steroids, which have proven to be effective in patients with moderate and severe symptoms. But, when it comes to private hospitals, especially smaller ones in semi-urban cities, healthcare workers are paid such meagre salaries. According to sources, selling medicines on the side or making medicines disappear overnight so that the patient is forced to buy more, is the norm. “When you know there are alternatives available in the market, then why aren’t doctors recommending that patients go for them. Why are they insisting on Remdesivir?” an employee at the distribution company told Business Insider. “In most cases, especially in smaller cities, the doctors are involved.” According to him, all the doctor has to say is that Remdesivir is a superior option to other medication, and the patient or his loved one is obviously going to try and get the ‘best’ option in a situation of crisis. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The black market supply chain" comment="subhead" text="The black market supply chain">The black market supply chain</cmsannotation> All doses of Remdesivir, no matter what brand, are going to come from the big seven pharmaceutical giants in India currently manufacturing the vials. These pharmaceutical companies send the medicine to the distributors, who are in turn supposed to dole out the doses to licensed pharmacies. But that’s where things get a little murky. Distributors do give a certain portion of the shipment to pharmacies because they need those records on their books, but the rest of the stock is given to people who are in his known circle. So, when someone comes looking for Remdesivir, the distributor directs them to one of the people within his circle who may have hoarded some of the doses. And, going to a third party, who is not a license holder, makes it a black market deal. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/policy/article/if-the-covid-19-vaccine-prices-are-too-high-for-some-then-why-not-use-direct-benefit-transfer/articleshow/82200370.cms">If the COVID-19 vaccine prices are too high for some, then why not use direct benefit transfer</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/while-covid-19-is-making-millions-gasp-for-breath-in-india-state-administrations-are-trying-to-hoard-oxygen/articleshow/82199390.cms">The COVID-19 crisis in India is getting worse with state administrations trying to hoard oxygen</a>

Inside the treacherous black market for Remdesivir in India— from private hospitals to distributors

<ul><li>Doctors are prescribing Remdesivir despite its uncertain impact but patients and kin are willing to try anything which gives them a ray of hope. </li><li>The demand has gone through the roof and manufacturers are struggling to keep up. </li><li>Bad folks are using the time to take advantage of the truly desperate as more patients queue up and the vicious cycle perpetuates.</li></ul>Remdesivir is not a proven treatment against COVID-19. Governments have said it, the courts have said it. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said and reiterated this fact. Yet, in India, people are rushing to the pharmacies and hospitals with prescriptions for the drug leading to a crunch in its supply. “People are buying Remdesivir because that’s what the doctors are prescribing,” Pragati Medical, a pharmacy in Hyderabad, told Business Insider. As COVID-19 claims more victims in its second surge, Remdesivir⁠ — currently a drug of last resort against the novel coronavirus⁠ — has become a hot property with its own black market where it could cost, sometimes, up to five times the price. Even Twitter is awash with people requesting vials of the drug to treat their loved ones currently in intensive care units (ICUs). Communication along the supply chain, from the manufacturers to the end consumer, has a lot left to desire and is adding to the chaos. <div type="twitter" handle="sanashakil_TNIE" handlename="Sana Shakil" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1369245158613549058/4U8pQwyz_normal.jpg" favoritecount="4958" retweetcount="4686" status="This is a call for help. Urgently need #Remdesivir for my mother who's covid +ive and a chronic patient with Kartag… https://t.co/RwYsWYHxXl" createdat="1618398198000" id="1382288347356274688"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="sh27ank" handlename="Shashank" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1381201120517758979/25uGd8a2_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@tuhins @sukanyaiyer2 @OfficeofUT @Krunal_Goda Please help, I need the #Remdesivir injection urgently. My father is… https://t.co/2ZQ4GtmPqe" createdat="1618470118000" id="1382590003465768962"></div> The Indian government has been unable to include the <keyword id="9578500" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="remdesivir-injection">Remdesivir injection</keyword> under the Drug Control Act because it has not completed its clinical trials to establish its efficacy in treating COVID-19. Yet, doctors are prescribing it indiscriminately. “You should advise doctors not to prescribe the drug unless it is required,” said the <a href="https://twitter.com/barandbench/status/1382577986466029568">Gujarat High Court</a> on April 15, during a hearing about the surge in COVID-19 cases across the state. According to the court, the state needs to explain what the drug is, when to use it, where it should be procured, and whom it should be given to. “I don’t know whether it is a life-saving drug. But it has unnecessarily been seen as an Amrit [elixir],” the court said. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Who is creating the hype behind Remdesivir?" comment="subhead" text="Who is creating the hype behind Remdesivir?">Who is creating the hype behind Remdesivir?</cmsannotation> In the <keyword id="6360101" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="gujarat-high-court">Gujarat High Court</keyword> hearing, Justice BN Karia asked the attorney general if the hype behind Remdesivir was being created by the doctors. And that’s a valid question to ask. However, doctors may not have many options in hand for patients desperate to be healthy again. <div type="image" title="remdesivir4_edited" msid="82083871" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In Maharashtra&amp;#39;s Aurangabad, the administration has made it mandatory to conduct COVID RTP-CR tests before providing the Remdesivir injection to any patient&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “In the absence of any effective documented drug, what is the option left with doctors,” justifies Gulshan Haresh Bakhtiani, the founder of Wellness Forever, a chain of online pharmacy and medical stores. But he does admit that there is a shortage. “Shortage is there not because doctors are prescribing the drug. The shortage is there because manufacturing is not adequate,” said Bakhtiani. <div type="image" title="remdesivir5_edited" msid="82083945" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People throng to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Surat with prescriptions for free Remdesivir injections on April 10&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But the supply crunch is expected to ease up in the coming days. There are currently seven manufacturers of Remdesivir in the country — including Zydus Cadila, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Sun Pharma, Viatris, and Cipla, who have all <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/ramping-production-of-remdesivir-to-meet-demand-pharma-firms/article34318614.ece">issued statements</a> to the effect of increasing production in the face of rising COVID-19 cases. “Remdesivir is not in as much short supply as it was four or five days ago. We have a good number of manufacturers in India and around seven days back, all of them increased manufacturing of the drug,” Bakhtiani told Business Insider. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Pharmaceutical companies say they have increased production — but the goods are yet to reach the end of the supply chain" comment="subhead" text="Pharmaceutical companies say they have increased production — but the goods are yet to reach the end of the supply chain">Pharmaceutical companies say they have increased production — but the goods are yet to reach the end of the supply chain</cmsannotation> “Right now Remdesivir is not available anywhere — there’s not even a single injection,” a manager at one of Haryana's medical wholesalers, Allied Medical Agency, told Business Insider. “It's not available in Hisar. It’s not available further inland. I have even spoken to people in Delhi and Chandigarh, there is no supply.” But that isn’t keeping people from offering up empty promises. In the case of Allied Medical Agency, the coordinator got in touch with someone willing to supply vials of Remdesivir for ₹4,800 apiece, almost five times the maximum retail price (MRP) of ₹900. In cross-checking the details before he made any payment, his other contacts informed him that the source is unlikely to have the stock — the source more likely to take the money but will only deliver the goods after a long period of time. <div type="image" title="remdesivir2_edited" msid="82083689" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;These vials of Remdesivir injections were being sold by a duo in Mumbai for &amp;#8377; 20,000 apiece&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The silence at the end of helplines Bigwig medicine manufacturers have also set up helplines to help people ascertain where they can procure COVID-19 drugs. However, when Business Insider called the Cipla helpline — not once but twice — there was nothing but a pre-recorded message that played on a loop for over five minutes, before the call was abruptly ended. <div type="image" title="Screenshot_20210415-160217_edited" msid="82083715" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Message from Cipla&amp;#39;s helpline after the call was abruptly cut &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The company did send an SMS to say that the call had been noted but they were unable to attend because their assistants are busy attending other patients, but no follow up has occurred since then. In the absence of a proven cure, patients would take anything that could possibly save their lives. So, doctors are prescribing Remdesivir despite its uncertain impact. The demand has gone through the roof and manufacturers are not able to keep up with the required pace to meet the demand. Bad folks are using the time to take advantage of the truly desperate. Meanwhile, more patients are queuing up and the vicious cycle perpetuates. 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The utter chaos and confusion over Remdesivir in India is making the COVID-19 second wave worse

<ul><li>An investment of 10,000 in Kwality Pharmaceuticals’ stock at the start of the year would be worth ₹1.55 lakh today.</li><li>The <keyword id="12239624" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="remdesivir-maker" source="Orion">Remdesivir maker</keyword>’s net profit jumped 81% in FY21 to ₹14.88 crore from ₹8.20 crore in FY20.</li><li>The company has an ongoing research &amp; development project of ₹31 crore in Punjab that will be completed by September 2022.</li></ul>Stocks of drug makers have been on a tear but none more than the Punjab-based Kwality Pharmaceuticals. The stock has spiralled from ₹59 in January 2021 to ₹922 today, an addition of ₹863 rupees. An investment of 10,000 in <keyword id="12226938" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kwality-pharma" source="Orion">Kwality Pharma</keyword> at the start of the year would be worth ₹1.55 lakh today. One of its lead products has been Remdesivir, whose demand shot through the roof, as many doctors prescribed the drug to provide relief to COVID-19 patients even when it was not a proven cure against the virus. <div type="image" title="kwality chart" height="900" width="1200" msid="86750900" hostid="261"></div> The exemplary returns in the stock can be attributed to strong profits booked by the company in the last couple of years. In FY21, the company’s net profit jumped 81% to ₹14.88 crore from ₹8.20 crore in FY20. The company is a prominent manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical formulations such as liquid orals, powder for oral suspension, tablets, capsules, sterile powder for injections, small volume injectables, ointments, external preparations, ORS, and many other products. “Kwality Pharmaceuticals as an exporting company has supplied Remdesivir Injection to the global market...The sale has gone up and it will keep on growing as many traders and the government have come to know about the medicine(s) of Kwality Pharmaceuticals.The company has also improved the infrastructure and plant &amp; machinery which can meet the global demand,” the company said in its annual report. <div type="image" title="kwality revenue" height="900" width="1200" msid="86750917" hostid="261"></div> Besides, the company has an ongoing research &amp; development project of ₹31 crore in Punjab that will be completed by September 2022. Previously, there was an expansion project of ₹19 crore. The company has improved its infrastructure in order to meet global demand for some of its popular products on time, especially those that emerged during covid. Here is how the company’s peers performed in 2021 as compared to Kwality Pharma: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Stocks </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">% returns in 2021 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sun Pharmaceuticals </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">39% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Divi’s Laboratories </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">35% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dr Reddy’s Labs </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-3% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cipla </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16% </td></tr></tbody></table> More than 30 years passed before the big boom The current managing director of the company, Ramesh Arora, broke away from his family ventures in spinning and aromatics to seek a drug licence that he got in 1981. Kwality Pharma was set up in May 1983. According to the website, the company has two manufacturing plants, one in Amritsar (Punjab) and the other in Jassur (Himachal Pradesh), and has its <a href="https://kwalitypharma.com/about-us.php">products registered</a> in different countries of Europe, Africa, Asia, Central American, and South American Countries &amp; CIS Countries. It’s a largely family controlled organisation with Ramesh’s wife, brother and his wife, as well as his nephew (who is also the Chief Financial Officer), occupying seats on the board of directors. The company had 496 employees at the end of March 2021, according to the annual report. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/murali-divi-the-billionaire-scientist-behind-divis-labs-is-richer-by-6-billion-and-counting-since-the-pandemic/articleshow/86749881.cms">Murali Divi, the billionaire scientist behind Divi’s Labs, is richer by $6 billion and counting since the pandemic</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-green-shares-jump-as-the-group-adds-5-gigawatts-of-renewable-energy-capacity-with-a-3-5-billion-deal-with-softbank-and-bharti-group/articleshow/86746182.cms">Adani Green shares jump as the group adds 5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity with a $3.5 billion deal with Softbank and Bharti Group</a>

Thanks to Remdesivir, Kwality Pharma’s stock is up from ₹59 to over ₹922 in just over nine months

<ul><li><keyword id="8775508" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="remdesivir">Remdesivir</keyword>, steroids, plasma, <keyword id="6284162" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tocilizumab">Tocilizumab</keyword>, and Favipiravir are some of the most widely used treatments for COVID-19.</li><li>According to <keyword id="40458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIIMS">AIIMS</keyword>’ director Randeep Guleria, the timing of using these drugs — depending on the condition of a COVID-19 patient — is critical in their effectiveness.</li><li>Using them too early or too late could result in harmful side-effects.</li><li>Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about COVID-19 drugs.</li></ul>(Disclaimer: This should not be considered medical advice. The views and opinions expressed belong to Dr.Randeep Guleria, the director of AIIMS. Please check with your doctor before taking treatment.) It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic has been ravaging humanity. Despite predictions that the world would be out of the woods by now, the second wave of the virus is wreaking havoc in countries everywhere, including India. As the number of cases has increased, so has the demand for the drugs that offer potential treatment. This includes everything from the overhyped Remdesivir to less known drugs like Tocilizumab and Favipiravir. These drugs, however, are in short supply. Pharmacies across the country are reporting shortages. Moreover, this has led to a boom in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/remdesivir-injection-price-jumps-five-times-as-covid-19-cases-rise/articleshow/82083414.cms">blackmarket sales</a> of these drugs. According to Randeep Guleria, director of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), these drugs aren’t just something that you can take at home. And the timing of when they should be administered is critical in ensuring that a bad situation isn’t made worse. In a press conference on April 19, Guleria answered some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) around COVID-19 and the drugs that fight it. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Here’s a quick look at his responses:" comment="subhead" text="Here’s a quick look at his responses:">Here’s a quick look at his responses:</cmsannotation> <ol><li>Is Remdesivir effective in the treatment of COVID-19? No study has conclusively been able to prove that Remdesivir is beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19. “It’s important to understand that Remdesivir is not a magic bullet and it’s not a drug that is reducing mortality,” said Guleria.</li><li>If there is not enough evidence to support the use of Remdesivir to treat COVID 19, why are doctors still prescribing it? “It [Remdesivir] does have a role,” Guleria explained. While everyone has been focused on coming up with a vaccine to fight off the pandemic, the same push has not been seen in the development of antivirals. So, in absence of a good drug that can treat COVID-19, doctors and patients are turning to Remdesivir in hopes of relief.</li><li>When should a patient of COVID 19 take Remdesivir? More important than the drug itself, is the timing of when it is administered. Taking it too early or too late, could do more harm than good.“Remdesivir has been shown to be useful only in those patients who were hospitalised, who showed oxygen saturation and had infiltrates on their chest X-ray or CT scan,” said Guleria. According to him, the optimal timing for Remdesivir is usually after five to seven days of having the virus. “It is of no use if given early to mild or asymptomatic patients,” he told the press. “It is of no use if it’s given very late because it would create a cytokine storm.” A cytokine storm is when the immune system goes into overdrive. The body starts to attack its own cells and tissues instead of just the virus.</li><li>Is Remdesivir something you can take at home? Remdesivir isn’t just a pill that you can down with a glass of water. It comes in a vial and has to be injected into the body. So, ideally, one should not be taking it at home.“It is for patients who are hospitalised and severe. Therefore it should not be given at home. It is for patients who need to be admitted and need hospital care,” said Guleria. </li><li>Are steroids effective in the treatment of COVID 19? Unlike Remdesivir, there is evidence to support the use of steroids in the treatment of COVID-19. The <keyword id="6356311" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Health-Organisation">World Health Organisation</keyword>’s (WHO) recovery trial showed that steroids do have a beneficial effect. “But again, the timing is critical. The recovery trial clearly showed that if we give steroids too early, before oxygen saturation, it showed a harmful effect. Those who got it early had higher mortality than those who did not,” warned Guleria.According to him, steroids are most effective during the later part of the disease, when there is more inflammation and oxygen saturation is falling. “Steroids are only useful for moderate or severe cases,” he said.</li><li>Is plasma a good way to fight off COVID-19? Plasma was popular when COVID-19 initially came around but studies in India, and around the world, have determined that it is not effective in the treatment. “Subsequently, other studies have been done and a large meta analysis as well which combines results of all the studies, have shown that plasma is not effective in treating COVID-19,” said Guleria.</li><li>Should a person with COVID-19 take Tocilizumab? Tocilizumab is a drug of last resort. According to Guleria, it should only be used when a COVID-19 infection in a patient is worsening despite steroids, Remdesivir, and other treatments like anticoagulants. “Tocilizumab is required in less than 2% of COVID 19 patients. Very few patients need this drug because it's only for treating a cytokine storm… And, therefore, it has a limited role,” he explained.</li><li>Is Favipiravir effective in treating COVID-19? Favipiravir is another antiviral that is being promoted for the treatment of COVID 19. It was initially doled out as a treatment of influenza after the H1N1 pandemic.“There is not enough evidence in robust studies to show that it is a good drug. In most countries, it is not being used. They’re not finding higher mortality,” said Guleria. And, since it’s not a proven treatment, India’s national guidelines also don’t recommend its use. </li><li>Is it possible to treat COVID-19 without any of the drugs mentioned above? According to Guleria, people with mild COVID-19 or those who are asymptomatic will improve with just symptomatic treatment.“Outside [in other countries] they treat COVID-19 with paracetamol, good hydration and multivitamins — all of them have recovered without any treatment,” he told reporters. “Giving treatment when it is not required, you may be doing more harm than good.”</li></ol>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/for-saas-y-salaries-indian-engineers-are-skipping-the-traditional-it-services-queue/articleshow/82157280.cms">SaaS-y salaries are 30% more than traditional IT services — and they’re making it tougher for traditional IT service firms to find the right talent</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/tiger-global-invests-in-healthcare-startup-pristyn-care-valuation-more-than-doubles-in-six-months/articleshow/82158467.cms">Tiger Global invests in healthcare startup Pristyn Care, valuation more than doubles in six months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-has-the-142nd-rank-of-the-180-countries-in-the-world-press-freedom-index-falls-behind-myanmar-sri-lanka-and-nepal/articleshow/82158331.cms">India still has the ‘bad’ classification in the World Press Freedom Index, falls behind Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal</a>

When to use Remdesivir, Favipiravir, Steroids and Tocilizumab drugs for covid 19 treatment: AIIMS doctor explains

<ul><li>Cipla will launch its version of Remdesivir in the next 1-2 days under the brand name 'Cipremi'.</li><li>The drug will be sold at an approximate price of ₹4,000 per vial.</li><li>Remdesivir is considered a key drug in the fight against Covid-19 as a randomised clinical trial conducted with the drug demonstrated faster clinical recovery in hospitalised patients.</li><li>The Union Health Ministry has asked all the states to strengthen their vigil, so that black marketing of Covid-19 drug Remdesivir is prevented.</li></ul>As India faces a shortage of Covid-19 drug Remdesivir, the pharmaceutical company Cipla said it will launch its version of Remdesivir in the next 1-2 days. <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/healthcare/exclusive-as-india-faces-shortage-of-remdesivir-cipla-says-its-supplies-will-hit-market-in-next-1-2-days-6281911.htm">In an interview with CNBC TV18</a>, Kedar Upadhyay, Cipla’s CFO said that the Daman-based Sovereign Pharma had released the first batch of the drug from its manufacturing plant and Cipla will be selling it under the brand name 'Cipremi'. While Mumbai-based BDR Pharma holds the contract for manufacturing of Cipla’s Remdesivir, the company has further sub-contracted the manufacturing of the finished dosage and packaging to Daman-based Sovereign Pharma. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76747405" title="These are the companies manufacturing COVID-19 drug Remdesivir in India" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> "We are attempting to launch Remdesivir in the next 1-2 days. We cannot comment on the volumes just as yet, but there is a huge demand-supply gap in the market," Upadhyay told CNBC TV18. However, <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/healthcare/exclusive-as-india-faces-shortage-of-remdesivir-cipla-says-its-supplies-will-hit-market-in-next-1-2-days-6281911.htm">reports</a> say that Sovereign Pharma has the capacity to scale up production to 95,000 vials per month. Sovereign Pharma got all necessary approvals for manufacturing the drug within a week, after an inspection by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. The drug will be sold at an approximate price of ₹4,000 per vial. Upadhyay told CNBC that the company is also preparing to set up a Remdesivir manufacturing facility in-house. Remdesivir is considered a key drug in the fight against Covid-19. The drug’s popularity grew after a randomised clinical trial used the drug on 1,063 patients over 60 centres across US, Europe and Asia and saw faster clinical recovery in hospitalised patients. To expand the supply of Remdesivir, US-based Gilead earlier announced non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with generic pharmaceutical manufacturers based in India, Egypt and Pakistan. The agreements allow Cipla and other companies including Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.; Hetero Labs Ltd.; Syngene, a Biocon company; and Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd. to manufacture Remdesivir for distribution in 127 countries. Government cracks down on Remdesivir black market The Union Health Ministry has asked all the states to take all measures to ensure that Remdesivir is not sold in the black market. The ministry acted upon it after t<a href="https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/health-ministry-steps-in-to-curb-black-marketing-of-covid-drug/1888995">he Directorate General of Health Services said that it has received </a>a letter from LocalCircles routed through the Health Ministry, raising concerns over black marketing and overpricing of Remdesivir in certain markets. "In view of the above, you are requested to instruct your enforcement officials to keep strict vigil on the matter to prevent black marketing and sale of Remdesivir injection above the MRP," the DGHS said in the letter to the states. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/the-us-bought-up-90-of-the-worlds-supply-of-remdesivir-for-the-next-3-months-and-patents-mean-many-countries-wont-be-able-to-get-any/articleshow/76729248.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">The US bought up 90% of the world's supply of remdesivir for the next 3 months, and patents mean many countries won't be able to get any</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/gilead-rises-after-pricing-its-coronavirus-fighting-drug-remdesivir/articleshow/76692239.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Gilead rises after pricing its coronavirus-fighting drug remdesivir</a>

Cipla says COVID-19 drug Remdesivir will hit market this week

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two batches of <keyword id="11893994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> antiviral treatment drug Remdesivir are being recalled.</li><li><keyword id="12678723" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gilead-sciences" source="Orion">Gilead Sciences</keyword> said it received reports of glass particles in some vials linked to the two lots.</li></ul>Two lots of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-gilead-says-positive-data-remdesivir-from-niaid-study-2020-4">COVID-19 antiviral drug Remdesivir</a> have been recalled after glass particles were found in some vials. According to a <a href="https://www.gilead.com/news-and-press/company-statements/gilead-issues-a-voluntary-nationwide-recall-of-two-lots-of-veklury">statement</a> from <keyword id="12678722" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gilead" source="Orion">Gilead</keyword> Sciences, a nationwide recall of two lots of the drug is underway."Gilead Sciences Inc. received a customer complaint, confirmed by the firm's investigation, of the presence of glass particulates," Gilead said in a <a href="https://www.gilead.com/news-and-press/company-statements/gilead-issues-a-voluntary-nationwide-recall-of-two-lots-of-veklury">statement</a>. "An injectable product that contains glass particulates may result in local irritation or swelling in response to the foreign material," the company added. "If the glass particulate reaches the blood vessels it can travel to various organs and block blood vessels in the heart, lungs or brain which can cause stroke and even lead to death." The two lots, 2141001-1A and 2141002-1A, were distributed to wholesalers between October 25 and November 2. Around 55,000 vials of the drug — the equivalent of doses for some 11,000 patients — are involved in this recall, Gilead spokesman Chris Ridley told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-04/gilead-recalls-55-000-vials-of-covid-drug-due-to-glass-shards?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_content=business&amp;utm_medium=social">Bloomberg News</a>. However, Gilead noted that there had been no adverse reactions reported in connection with the lots recalled. Remdesivir, which is also known as Veklury, is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remdesivir-may-not-significantly-improve-covid-19-outcomes-study-2020-8">one of the FDA-authorized therapies currently available to COVID-19 patients</a> and is <a href="https://www.idsociety.org/covid-19-real-time-learning-network/therapeutics-and-interventions/remdesivir/">given intravenously</a> for ten days. The drug has been used in the US since May 2020, when the FDA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/137564/download#:~:text=On%20May%201%2C%202020%2C%20the,Section%20564%20of%20the%20Act.">authorized it for emergency use</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-coronavirus-treatment-timeline-remdesivir-antibody-drug-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remdesivir was given to former President Donald Trump when he contracted COVID-19 in October 2020</a>, and it also <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received full FDA approval the same month.</a>It's unclear how many reports Gilead received about glass particles. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Batches of the COVID-19 treatment drug Remdesivir were recalled after glass particles were found in some vials

(Eds: Changes headline) Hyderabad, July 15 () Hetero Healthcare Ltd is supplying 60,000 vials of Covifor, generic version of Remdesivir injection in the country from July 13 to 20, the company website said. Covifor is the first generic brand of Remdesivir, which is meant for treatment of COVID-19 patients that are adults and children, hospitalised with severe symptoms of the disease. The drug is available in 100 mg vial (Injectable). It needs to be administered intravenously in a hospital, critical care setting, under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner. Out of 60,000 vials, Maharashtra, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country will get 12,500 followed by Delhi and Telangana with 10,000 and 9,000 respectively. According to the website, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will get 7500, 6000, 2000 and 3000 respectively while the rest of the country will get 10,000 injections. The company has supplied the drug to as many as 166 hospitals in Maharashtra and 53 in the national capital. When it comes to Telangana , Hetero supplied 14,502 vials, the information available at 11 AM on the site on Wednesday said. Remdesivir is the only drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) treatment of adult and paediatric patients hospitalised with suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, which also has a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc to register, manufacture and sell the investigational drug, Remdesivir in 127 countries including India is yet to get a nod from the DCGI to start making the drug in the country, sources said. GDK ROH ROH

Hetero Healthcare Ltd starts supply of generic Remdesivir

Hello,What a weekend. Since being diagnosed with <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> on Thursday, President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> has received a number of treatments. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-covid-19-treatments-remdesivir-and-regeneron-antibody-drug-combo-2020-10">Those include an experimental antibody therapeutic from drugmaker Regeneron and the antiviral remdesivir.</a>On Sunday, White House physician Sean Conley said that Trump was feeling better, but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-dexamethasone-usually-severe-covid-19-cases-2020-10">noted that the president had received dexamethasone, a steroid usually reserved for patients with more serious cases, Aylin Woodward reported.</a> Trump also received supplemental <keyword id="6355647" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Oxygen">oxygen</keyword> on Friday and Saturday. Let's dive in.<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-covid-19-treatments-remdesivir-and-regeneron-antibody-drug-combo-2020-10"><div type="image" title="Trump Walter Reed.JPG" height="1166" width="1554" msid="78495778" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-covid-19-treatments-remdesivir-and-regeneron-antibody-drug-combo-2020-10">Trump's doctors are targeting a 'sweet spot' in fighting COVID-19 by using experimental treatments early, but physicians caution the data is limited</a></h3><ul><li>President Donald Trump is taking several drugs to combat COVID-19, a combination approach that critical care doctors called rational but untested.</li><li>Over the past few days, the president confirmed his diagnosis, was injected with an experimental antibody cocktail, transported to Walter Reed Medical Center, and given an IV infusion of the antiviral drug <keyword id="8775508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="remdesivir">remdesivir</keyword>.</li><li>Giving the antibody drug and remdesivir early on should help COVID-19 patients in fighting the disease, physicians told Business Insider.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-covid-19-treatments-remdesivir-and-regeneron-antibody-drug-combo-2020-10">But the two drugs have not been tested in combination. "We are clearly in a data-free zone right here," said Dr. Taison Bell, an infectious-disease expert and critical-care physician who has studied remdesivir.</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-covid-19-treatments-remdesivir-and-regeneron-antibody-drug-combo-2020-10">Read the full story from Andrew Dunn here&gt;&gt;</a><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-healthcare-power-players-health-next-2020-9"><div type="image" title="4x3 microsoft" height="900" width="1200" msid="78495786" hostid="261"></div></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-healthcare-power-players-health-next-2020-9">POWER PLAYERS: The 15 leaders at Microsoft shaping the tech giant's growing healthcare ambitions</a></h3><ul><li><keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> is making <keyword id="6354525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthcare">healthcare</keyword> a priority through important hires, products, and partnerships.</li><li>The $1.57 trillion tech giant chose healthcare to roll out its first industry-specific cloud service.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-healthcare-power-players-health-next-2020-9">Here are the 15 leaders that experts and the company told us are critical to Microsoft's healthcare business.</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-healthcare-power-players-health-next-2020-9">Read the full story from Blake Dodge and Ashley Stewart here&gt;&gt;</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/novartis-salaries-compensation-pays-employees-scientists-to-global-directors-2020-9"><div type="image" title="Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan" height="2362" width="3149" msid="78495792" hostid="261"></div></a><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/novartis-salaries-compensation-pays-employees-scientists-to-global-directors-2020-9">Novartis salaries revealed: From $49,608 to $195,686, find out how much the Swiss pharma giant pays its employees in the US</a></h3><ul><li>The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is a leader in the drug industry, commanding a market value of $200 billion and employing more than 100,000 people around the globe.</li><li>Business Insider's analysis shows that Novartis hires employees in the US at salaries ranging from around $50,000 to mid-six-figures.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/novartis-salaries-compensation-pays-employees-scientists-to-global-directors-2020-9">Our analysis includes salaries for positions from scientists to global directors, The roles we analyzed include: science, data, solutions, engineering, leadership, and more.</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/novartis-salaries-compensation-pays-employees-scientists-to-global-directors-2020-9">Read the full story from Maddy Simpson, Andrew Dunn, and Alex Nicoll here&gt;&gt;</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/novartis-salaries-compensation-pays-employees-scientists-to-global-directors-2020-9"> </a>More stories we're reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/myokardia-stock-price-bristol-myers-acquire-billion-cash-drug-pharma-2020-10">MyoKardia soars 59% after Bristol-Myers agrees to acquire it for $13 billion in cash</a> (Markets Insider)</li><li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ai-help-patients-doctors-understand/">Doctors need training to understand how AI can help them care for patients</a> (Wired) </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-book-recommendations-from-top-young-leaders-2020-9">The 26 best books to read if you want to disrupt US healthcare, according to top young leaders in the $3.6 trillion industry</a> (Business Insider)</li><li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/hospitals-get-smart-when-it-comes-to-their-ppe-sources-due-to-covid-19-pandemic">Hospitals have learned their lesson when it comes to supplying PPE</a> (Fierce Healthcare) </li></ul><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-healthcare">Subscribe to our newsletter here!</a>- Lydia

What to know about Trump's coronavirus treatment regimen

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President Donald Trump is taking several drugs to combat COVID-19, a combination approach that critical care doctors called rational but untested.</li><li>Over the past few days, the president confirmed his diagnosis, was injected with an experimental antibody cocktail, transported to Walter Reed Medical Center, and given an IV infusion of the antiviral drug <keyword id="8775508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="remdesivir">remdesivir</keyword>. </li><li>In a memo <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1312234451657805824">released Friday night</a>, the White House physician Sean Conley said Trump is "doing very well." </li><li>Giving the antibody drug and remdesivir early on should help COVID-19 patients in fighting the disease, physicians told Business Insider.</li><li>But the two drugs have not been tested in combination. "We are clearly in a data-free zone right here," said Dr. Taison Bell, an infectious-disease expert and critical-care physician who has studied remdesivir.</li></ul>President Donald Trump has now received two experimental treatments for his <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> infection, a combination that doctors say is logical but untested.After being flown to Walter Reed Medical Center, President Donald Trump received an IV infusion of the antiviral drug remdesivir, the White House physician said Friday night. He previously got a dose of an experimental antibody cocktail."We are maximizing all aspects of his care, attacking this virus in a multi-pronged approach," Trump's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said in a briefing on Saturday. "As the president, I didn't want to hold anything back. If there was any possibility it would add value to his care and expedite his return, I wanted to take it, and the team agreed, and that's how we proceeded."The use of remdesivir marked the latest in a rapid escalation of Trump's treatment plan. On Friday, the president publicly confirmed his diagnosis and was flown to Walter Reed. Trump, who is 74 and obese, is at an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chart-shows-trump-age-obesity-increase-coronavirus-risk-2020-10">increased risk of a serious case of COVID-19</a>.After testing positive for the coronavirus, Trump had a fever, a mild cough, nasal congestion, and fatigue, Conley said. The timeline on when exactly the president tested positive was not immediately clear, but Conley said the COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed via testing on Thursday.Conley added Trump's symptoms have resolved or are improving. He also said that Trump isn't currently receiving extra oxygen. The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/archive-75ae554ce5d092d50dad7c0c7dbcf70e">reported Saturday</a> the president received supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House before going to the hospital. Shortly after Conley provided an update on Trump's <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> Saturday, an anonymous source familiar with the president's health appeared to contradict the physician's assessment."The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care," the source said, <a href="https://publicpool.kinja.com/subject-in-town-pool-report-7-1845263396">according to the White House press pool</a>. "We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery."<h2>There are good reasons to use experimental treatments early</h2>Trump's age and weight are good reasons to treat him early, doctors told Business Insider. They also said that there's reason to think that giving remdesivir and the antibody cocktail early on is the right approach, but they cautioned that there's no data on using the two treatments together. "The thought is if you can reduce the viral burden with an antiviral early on, then maybe the progression will be halted in some way," Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, an intensive care doctor who oversees ICU care at Northwell Health, told Business Insider on Saturday."Given the fact he's 74, a male, and obese, I think he's in a higher-risk category, so his chances of getting sick from this are higher," she added. "They are trying to prevent that from happening"Remdesivir is a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-gileads-remdesivir-clinical-testing-timeline-2020-3">virus-fighting drug</a> that was first tested against Ebola. In studies, the drug <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-gilead-says-positive-data-remdesivir-from-niaid-study-2020-4">helped hospitalized patients with COVID-19 recover faster</a> and the Food and Drug Administration has given an emergency ok for the drug's use in hospitalized patients.The antibody treatment is made by the biotech company <keyword id="1947766" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Regeneron">Regeneron</keyword> and is not approved by the FDA. The experimental treatment aims to boost the body's immune response to help in fighting the virus.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-regeneron-32-year-history-race-for-coronavirus-drug-2020-6">Trump just received Regeneron's experimental COVID-19 treatment. Here's the inside story of the biotech and its 2 billionaire founders.</a><h2>'We are clearly in a data-free zone right here'</h2>Regneron provided a description of preliminary results on September 29 for the treatment that was generally seen by experts as encouraging. But it's too early to say for sure if the drug works. There are no clinical trials that are specifically studying taking the two drugs in combination.Remdesivir was primarily studied in sicker patients, with the trials focusing predominantly on COVID-19 patients requiring extra oxygen."We are clearly in a data-free zone right here," Dr. Taison Bell, an infectious-disease and critical-care physician at the University of Virginia's medical center told Business Insider on Saturday. "What his medical team is doing is trying what they can. The more we learn about these different combinations, the more we'll be informed. Right now, it's kind of like we're driving in the dark."Still, Bell explained that there's good reason to give the president remdesivir now. Bell said there is a "sweet spot" in using remdesivir that Trump likely falls in — having symptoms that make him not too sick and not too healthy."It's right at that cusp where someone is sick or starting to get sick, but they aren't quite super sick," said Bell, who was a principal investigator for a National Institutes of Health trial that tested remdesivir.Narasimhan said COVID-19 becomes "very hard to stop" as the disease progresses and patients get sicker."The thought is these drugs will work best if given early on before someone gets very sick," she said.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-antibody-treatments-eli-lilly-regeneron-gsk-amgen-2020-4">Trump got a dose of Regeneron's experimental coronavirus treatment. Here's how the biotech and 8 others are racing to develop new ways to fight COVID-19.</a><h2>While Trump is 'doing very well,' physicians watch for steroid use as sign of disease progression </h2>Both physicians emphasized the lack of publicly available, detailed information on Trump's health. "The administration is being very cagey about what his symptoms are and what his clinical status is," Bell said. "We don't know what his chest x-ray looks like, we don't know what his oxygen saturation is. They are telling us that he's not on any oxygen, but it would be helpful to know if he's symptomatically short of breath, or if his oxygen saturation is low but not quite requiring oxygen."Bell and Narasimhan both said there is no reason to not believe the health reports are accurate.A possible sign that Trump's condition is worsening would be if he begins to receive steroids, the doctors said. "If he gets steroids next, then we'll start being a little bit concerned about his respiratory status," Narasimhan said. "That will be the next treatment and that really is indicated for patients who are needing oxygen."

Trump's doctors are targeting a 'sweet spot' in fighting COVID-19 by using experimental treatments early, but physicians caution the data is limited

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> and first lady Melania Trump have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tests-positive-covid-19-after-hope-hicks-tested-positive-2020-10">tested positive for the novel coronavirus</a>.</li><li>The White House issued a statement saying that Trump received Regeneron's experimental <keyword id="6562600" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="AntiBody">antibody</keyword> drug.</li><li>The treatment is based on the disease-fighting proteins, called antibodies, that the body makes to fight off infection.</li></ul>President Donald Trump received Regeneron's experimental antibody drug after testing positive for the novel <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>.On Friday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tests-positive-covid-19-after-hope-hicks-tested-positive-2020-10">the president said he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the virus</a> and began isolating. The White House said the president was fatigued, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/02/us/trump-vs-biden/trumps-virus-case-is-mild-so-far-with-cold-like-symptoms">The New York Times reported</a> that he had mild coldlike symptoms.Trump, 74, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-coronavirus-age-weight-sex-increased-risk-serious-infection-2020-10">is at an increased risk for a more serious case of COVID-19 because of his age, weight, and sex</a>. On Friday evening, he was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-walter-reed-medical-center-hospital-covid-fever-cough-19-2020-10">headed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center</a>, where he plans to stay for several days. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution." In a memo released Friday, White House physician Sean Conley said Trump had received an injection of 8 grams of Regeneron's drug, which is a combination of two antibodies and called <keyword id="10025423" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="regn-cov2">REGN-COV2</keyword>. Antibodies are disease-fighting proteins that the body makes to fight off infection.Dr. Taison Bell, a critical-care physician at the University of Virginia medical center trained in infectious diseases, told Business Insider that giving the drug to Trump was a reasonable decision, given the lack of drugs that work as early treatments."There's been a real thirst for agents we can use on people who are relatively well but high risk to prevent them from getting sick," Bell said. "I think it does make sense. Obviously it needs to be studied more, but it is one of these agents that we do have some hope for."Regeneron, a New York biotech firm, started clinical trials on June 11 for the experimental treatment and recently reported some promising signs that the treatment could help people's immune systems fight the virus and reduce the chance of hospitalization.The physician's statement said Trump "remains fatigued but is in good spirits." Conley added that the president has also been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and a daily aspirin.Later on Friday, Conley said Trump had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-gileads-remdesivir-clinical-testing-timeline-2020-3">started treatment with remdesivir</a>, a coronavirus treament made by Gilead Sciences. Study results have shown that the drug can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-gilead-says-positive-data-remdesivir-from-niaid-study-2020-4">help hospitalized patients with COVID-19 recover faster</a> than those receiving a placebo, and the treatment has received an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.Regeneron's drug is still in clinical trials and is not approved by the FDA. On September 29, the company released a description of early results from the first 275 volunteers in the study. The company was testing the drug in patients who weren't sick enough to be hospitalized.Giving the drug to the president relatively early in the course of his infection may be helpful, because there's some evidence that it can help the body stop <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> from getting worse."In early disease, treating the virus may be more beneficial because you stop the virus from reproducing, which doesn't make the body as angry," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF."You can stun the virus into submission because it creates that immune response. Time is money with antibodies and early disease is the best place to get it," he added.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-antibody-treatments-eli-lilly-regeneron-gsk-amgen-2020-4">We're getting a slew of promising data on a new kind of coronavirus drug. Here are the 9 top drugmakers racing to develop antibody treatments for COVID-19.</a>In a statement, Regeneron said it provided the experimental drug to Trump's doctor under a compassionate-use request, which allows sick people access to treatments that aren't approved.<a href="https://www.northwell.edu/about/leadership/mangala-narasimhan">Dr. Mangala Narasimhan</a>, an intensive care doctor who oversees ICU care at Northwell Health, said that it's "not unreasonable" for Trump to receive the drug, though she pointed out that the drug hasn't been proven to work yet."This is what I thought was going to happen," she said. "They were looking for something to treat him with, and this supposedly has good results."<h2>How an antibody drug works, in theory</h2>To develop antibody therapies like REGN-COV2, scientists study the body's response to the coronavirus.In response to detecting an invading threat, the human body's immune system produces virus-fighting proteins called antibodies. In this case, that invader is the coronavirus, which infects cells and hijacks them to produce more of the virus.Our bodies pump out tons of customized antibodies to fight back and stop the virus. To make a therapeutic, scientists first collect a large pool of antibodies to sort through, hunting for the most potent in fighting the coronavirus. These often come from blood donations from recovered COVID-19 patients or from testing animals.When scientists have found the best antibodies, biotechnology allows them to clone and produce them at massive scale.It's a more modern version of using convalescent plasma, or the blood of sick patients, to treat COVID-19 patients. In that case, <a href="https://www.insider.com/places-donate-plasma-to-help-with-fight-against-covid-19-2020-4">donated plasma full of antibodies</a> is injected into sick patients. The approach requires lots of recovered blood donors — making it difficult to scale — and has not yet been proved effective for this pandemic, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fda-approves-unproven-plasma-treatment-for-covid-19-2020-8">despite securing an emergency approval from the FDA</a>.The technology to design and mass-produce antibody drugs has greatly improved over the past 30 years, allowing many companies to pursue this research. <h2>What's been working to treat COVID-19</h2>Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we've learned a lot about how to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leading-coronavirus-treatments-antibodies-remdesivir-clinical-results-2020-8">The 10 most promising coronavirus treatments that could help curb the pandemic, even without a vaccine</a>The FDA has given emergency-use authorization to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leading-coronavirus-treatments-antibodies-remdesivir-clinical-results-2020-8">two coronavirus treatments</a>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-gileads-remdesivir-clinical-testing-timeline-2020-3">the antiviral remdesivir</a> and convalescent plasma.Others, including the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leading-coronavirus-treatments-antibodies-remdesivir-clinical-results-2020-8">steroid dexamethasone, have shown promise in patients with acute infections</a>.<h2>Some treatments haven't proved useful, including hydroxychloroquine</h2>We've also learned more about what's less effective at treating COVID-19.Throughout March and April, Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/malaria-pill-chloroquine-tested-as-coronavirus-treatment-2020-3">consistently touted</a> the prospects of hydroxychloroquine by name.Early studies from France and China encouraged many doctors, as well as Trump, by appearing to show promising signs that the drug worked. The FDA issued an emergency approval to treat hospitalized patients in late March. A top-ranking government official <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/24/why-rick-bright-involved-hydroxychloroquine/">later said there was political pressure put on the agency</a> to green-light the drug. These initial findings <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-clinical-data-on-hydroxychloroquine-in-covid-19-2020-4">were severely flawed by the limitations of the studies</a>. The trials enrolled tiny groups of patients or lacked a control group to compare the results against. Studies that enrolled more people and tested the pills against a placebo group consistently found no benefit for hydroxychloroquine.These negative trial results, which have been published in top <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2016638">peer-reviewed</a> <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2771265">medical</a> <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa2019014">journals</a>, found hydroxychloroquine <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hydroxychloroquine-fails-to-prevent-coronavirus-study-in-nejm-2020-6">didn't prevent COVID-19</a> in people exposed to the virus, nor did it <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-06-05-no-clinical-benefit-use-hydroxychloroquine-hospitalised-patients-covid-19">help hospitalized patients recover faster</a>.In June, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hydroxychloroquine-emergency-use-authorization-revoked-by-fda-2020-6">the FDA revoked the emergency-use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine</a>. In its statement explaining the reversal, the FDA noted serious heart-related side effects the treatment could cause. The agency concluded those risks did not outweigh any potential benefits in treating COVID-19.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/potential-coronavirus-treatments-new-results-latest-research-2020-9">A spate of advancements suggest new coronavirus treatments could be on the horizon — here's the latest</a>This article was published on October 2. It was updated on October 3 to include Trump's treatment with <keyword id="8775508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="remdesivir">remdesivir</keyword>.

Trump got Regeneron's experimental antibody drug for his coronavirus symptoms. Here's what you need to know about the treatment.

The 10 most promising coronavirus treatments that could help curb the pandemic, even without a vaccine

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A variant of <keyword id="8775508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="remdesivir">remdesivir</keyword>, one of the most promising treatments for <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>, has for more than a year been sold as a treatment for sick cats via a black market connected to big Facebook groups.</li><li>The drug, called <keyword id="9365602" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gs-441524">GS-441524</keyword>, is being sold as a purported cure for Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which is caused by a <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, the same family of pathogen that causes COVID-19 in humans. </li><li>Despite not being licensed as a treatment for <keyword id="759794" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fip">FIP</keyword> by the Food and Drugs Administration, the drug is being sold to US consumers by Chinese firms, with courses sold for up to $10,000.</li><li>The transactions do not take place on Facebook's platform, but large cat owner groups have banded together to connect buyers to sellers, and attempt to screen the drug for purity.</li><li>An academic who pioneered using the drug on cats says that a black market is the only option because pharma giant Gilead, which has the rights to GS, will not license it for use in cats.</li><li>Critics say the unlicensed trade can lead to dangerous, low-quality drugs which could even find their way into human use.</li></ul>As the world seeks a way out the coronavirus crisis, there are hopes that the drug remdesivir may provide part of the solution.The drug is already being used on seriously ill patients after being fast-tracked by medical authorities in the US, though <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/07/health/remdesivir-donation-runs-out-coronavirus/index.html">supplies are limited</a> and it may be some time before it becomes more widely available. Business Insider can reveal that a black-market version of the drug, known as GS, is already being used by pet owners to treat a rare but deadly disease suffered by cats.Unlicensed doses of GS — sold in liquid form and distributed in vials — are available through an extensive network of online vendors in China created to serve worried pet owners.<div type="image" title="Remdesivir2 by Getty Images" height="768" width="1024" msid="76260293" hostid="261"></div>Thousands of owners with sick cats have banded together in closed Facebook groups, which connect buyers and sellers, and make efforts to screen shipments for purity.Though no money is exchanged via Facebook, the network acts as a conduit through which people can access the unlicensed drug. A Facebook spokesperson directed Business Insider to the site's policies, which ban the sale of illegal or prescription drugs on the platform, and encourage users to report drug sales. It also said it is using automated technology to scan and identify instances. Business Insider has seen price lists from vendors of the drug suggesting that it is being sold for as much as $10,000 a course, and sent to the US under the guise of a dietary supplement.Some people have also tried to buy it as a backstreet coronavirus remedy for human use, but it is not clear how widespread this is.The cat disease in question is Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Cats with FIP suffer fever, weight loss and breathing difficulties, and nearly always die.It's caused by a type of a coronavirus — the same family of pathogen that causes COVID-19 in humans. Though they are genetically related, the FIP coronavirus does not cause COVID-19, and vice-versa.The drug being used to treat it is GS-441524, or GS for short. It is being marketed and sold by companies based in China, which ship it to the US.Emeritus Professor Niels Pedersen, a veterinary <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> expert at University of California Davis, says he personally pioneered its use on cats.Pedersen reluctantly supports cat owners seeking to administer the drug to their pets, since there is no legal way to acquire the drug. He told Business Insider that FIP is "now 80% or more curable" with GS.Professor Margaret Hosie, an FIP researcher at the University of Glasgow, told Business Insider that she too had heard anecdotal reports of GS being effective. The closed Facebook groups are also full of stories of GS working.But the Food and Drugs Administration told Business Insider it has not licensed GS-441524 as a treatment for FIP, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/enforcement-activities-fda/unapproved-drugs">which means it is illegal to sell it as such in the US</a>.Some sites market it instead as a human dietary supplement, Pedersen said, which allows it to be shipped to the US.One campaigner, Anna Mitchell, who has spent a year investigating the GS black market, has called for it to be closed down. Mitchell started to investigate after her own cat got FIP, she told Business Insider."However the injections, the web of lies [about the effectiveness of the drug] and the misinformation is rampant," she said."And I am also worried that pretty soon the model we are seeing develop could spread to [unlicensed treatments for] other feline diseases and also human diseases."Oksana Pyzik, a senior teaching fellow in the School of Pharmacy at University College London, is an expert on the illegal pharmaceuticals market. She told Business Insider that the batches of GS being produced in China could be dangerous."Any medicine that has not been properly investigated for its quality means that we don't know what is inside, whether it is contaminated, whether it has any of the active pharmaceutical ingredients it claims to have," she said.<h2>In Facebook groups, desperate pet owners speak of a "miracle cure" </h2><div type="image" title="Cat2 by Getty Images" height="1500" width="2000" msid="76260297" hostid="261"></div>Facebook groups with thousands of members have have developed in response to the spread of FIP. In the groups, members exchange support and advice on how to treat cats with the disease — and stories of what they claim are the amazing curative powers of GS.Members speak often of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=pedersen+study+FIP&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB838GB838&amp;oq=pedersen+study+FIP&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57.4745j0j8&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">a promising February 2019 field study</a> by Pedersen, the UC Davis professor.A field study is a collection of information outside a lab setting. In Pedersen's study he dosed 31 cats suffering FIP with GS. 25 survived and recovered. Robin Kintz, who started the 23,000-member group FIP Warriors, told Business Insider: "When my kitten Henry was diagnosed in February of 2019, I searched the internet for answers and solutions."I came across Dr. Pedersen's research using GS-441525 and then went onto Facebook searching for sources of this miracle drug."GS-441525 was used in clinical trials on humans while the Ebola outbreak was raging in 2012. However, the trials failed.After this, Pedersen began experimenting to see if GS could work on animals, he told Business Insider. In an email, he said that GS and remdesivir are very similar, a conclusion <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771420300380#!">backed by other researchers</a>.Pedersen said that he asked permission to legally make GS for cats, but was rejected by Gilead, the pharmaceuticals firm that owns the rights to it.Pedersen claims that Gilead is worried that allowing GS to be used on cats would harm its ability to profit from its use in humans. The company did not respond to several requests to comment. Pedersen said that desperate pet owners have been driven to the black market as a result.He is convinced the drug works, and claims that 10,000 cats worldwide have been treated for FIP using GS thanks to his research."This disease, which is virtually always fatal and accounts for 0.3-1.3% of all deaths of cats in the world, is now 80% or more curable with GS-441524," he said.Pedersen also referred to an earlier statement where he defended helping the black market groups.He wrote: "I will continue to provide as much advice as possible for owners and veterinarians using and contemplating the use of black-market GS and GC to treat cats with FIP."He told Business Insider that his veterinary oath compelled him to help pet owners administer the treatment. The statement continued: "I must make it clear that I would have preferred these drugs to be approved and commercialized in the normal manner. I am certain that this will happen within the next few years, and as it does, the black market demand for drugs like GS and GC will wane."<h2>Sold online for as much as $10,000 </h2>But Mitchell, the anti-black market campaigner, says that the support Pedersen has offered to individuals administering illegal GS has encouraged a potentially dangerous black market. "It ballooned in Facebook groups — specifically one that has become gigantic and is really the supply route between the manufacturers and their buyers in the US," she said.The cost of a course of treatment can come to about $10,000. The screenshot below shows the price for a course of 29 bottles, which Mitchell told Business Insider is the amount an owner might want to obtain to treat a serious FIP case.In messages posted inside a Facebook FIP group, cat owners spoke of similar prices.<div type="image" title="cat drug screenshot border" height="530" width="1482" msid="76260301" hostid="261"></div>Mitchell said: "I am surprised by how many people, even those without the money, find a way to acquire that drug, they will go into debt, they will do anything to save their cat. It is a huge, huge market."She said some owners report worrying side effects in their pets, including open sores and wounds from the injections. Other cats are said to relapse after seeing symptoms briefly improve. Kintz, the group administrator, said that some pets experience negative side-effects, but that the group makes efforts to screen batches for purity."Lesions and painful injections are the two most common side effects of the medication. Some sores are worse than others but all resolve with time," said Kintz."Early on when this group was formed, we were able to have several different 'brands' of GS vials tested in a reputable university lab and the results confirmed the biological activity of the GS," she said.Kintz also said the group asks for free batches from suppliers to give to owners who cannot afford the drug."They use the vials as a mini field trial. If the kitties get better, we know it is working."<h2>Humans who believe GS might be a coronavirus treatment seek it out in Facebook cat groups </h2>Recent clinical trials for remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19 have been so encouraging that Gilead recently signed an agreement with several firms in India and Pakistan to increase production of the drug. However, a form of the drug is still not expected to be widely available on the legitimate market for many months.Pyzik, the pharmaceuticals expert, expressed concern that people pursuing a treatment for COVID-19 could seek out unlicensed forms on the black market. "It is incredibly serious to take a medicine when we don't understand the full nature of its effects in someone that has a coronavirus infection."Again, premature use can lead to a whole series of very serious side effects that can have long lasting disabilities for a person in the future," she said. Kintz said that some had inquired through her group about getting GS to treat COVID-19. "One or two people have reached [out] wanting to get GS for the human coronavirus but we have not gotten involved with that at all," she wrote.

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