Gilead Sciences has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for its antiviral drug remdesivir, under the brand name Veklury, to treat Covid-19 infection.
The decision falls under an exceptional approval pathway, which is similar to emergency use authorisation in the US. Remdesivir is an experimental nucleotide analogue that showed broad-spectrum antiviral activity against various viral pathogens, including Ebola, Marburg, MERS and SARS, in-vitro and in-vivo in animal models.
In-vitro testing found that the drug is active against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The drug is currently being assessed in several Phase III clinical trials.