Army strikes deal with pharmaceutical firm to test coronavirus drug on troops with co

[Boats]

Army strikes deal with pharmaceutical firm to test coronavirus drug on troops with confirmed cases
By: Madison Dibble - Washington Examiner News - 03-11-20
Re: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...onfirmed-cases

The Army reached an agreement with Gilead Sciences to test experimental COVID-19 treatments on soldiers who tested positive for the coronavirus.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command agreed to allow troops to try remdesivir, a drug created by Gilead and approved for clinical testing by the Food and Drug Administration in February. Remdesivir was created to treat Ebola, but it has helped to treat the symptoms of other illnesses, including MERS and SARS.

Tests of the drug are already being completed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and are being used in two trials in China. The first trial in the United States included a patient from the Diamond Princess cruise ship who completed treatment in Omaha, Nebraska.

Army Brig. Gen. Michael Talley expressed optimism about the trial, saying, “Together with our government and industry partners, we are progressing at almost revolutionary rates to deliver effective treatment and prevention products that will protect the citizens of the world and preserve the readiness and lethality of our service members.”

Gilead is the only pharmaceutical firm with a potential COVID-19 treatment that has been approved for clinical trials by the FDA. The military is also working to create a vaccine for those who have not been infected. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command have already begun animal testing for the vaccine.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs noted he believed treatments may be approved “sooner” than a vaccine. Gilead's drug, which is taken intravenously, will be given to troops who have already tested positive for the coronavirus.

At least 10 active-duty military members have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, including a soldier who had been in South Korea and a sailor who had been in Italy. Both South Korea and Italy have been placed under a travel advisory.