The government has okayed the Health Ministry acceptance of stocks of coronavirus drug remdesivir from Gilead Sciences.
The drug is widely viewed as the most promising treatment available today. It is not clear how many doses Israel will be receiving.
In May, Asher Shalmon, the Health Ministry’s director of international relations, told The Times of Israel that Israel’s strong relationship with the California-based Gilead put the country in a good position to ensure supply.
A vial of the drug remdesivir is viewed during a press conference about the start of a study with the drug in particularly severely ill patients at the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) in Hamburg, northern Germany, April 8, 2020, amidst the coronavirus pandemic. (Ulrich Perrey / POOL / AFP)
“We have a long-lasting relationship with the company, they have strong representation here, and this helps in making sure it is available here,” he said.
Israeli hospitals were part of two studies into remdesivir’s effectiveness. The drug helped save the country’s first seriously ill patient, an East Jerusalem bus driver in his 30s, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel is also stockpiling hydroxychloroquine, though studies have shown it to be dangerous when given to COVID-19 patients.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
