News Release

IDSA, HIVMA Ask Ambassador Birx to Meet on Remdesivir Distribution Questions

The Infectious Diseases Society of America and its HIV Medicine Association have requested a meeting with White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Amb. Deborah Birx to address ongoing questions regarding access to remdesivir and to inform planning for use of the drug, the only one authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19.

Following the May 1 FDA emergency use authorization for remdesivir to treat COVID-19, drug maker Gilead Sciences announced it would donate 1.5 million individual doses of remdesivir worldwide. The 607,000 doses designated for the United States can treat about 78,000 patients. While IDSA and HIVMA support plans to distribute the drug through state health departments, continuing questions on how the drug will be allocated include how data will inform and monitor distribution efforts, and what measures will be taken to ensure equitable access to the drug.

In their request to meet with Amb. Birx, IDSA and HIVMA representatives write that continuing uncertainty surrounding access to and use of the drug is interfering with patient care.