Remdesivir Shortage Hits Europe as Covid-19 Cases Rise

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The company has set a $2,340 price per patient for wealthier nations. It says it has also donated treatments for research and to treat hundreds of thousands of patients around the world.

New supplies

A spokesman for the European Commission, which negotiates medical supply deals on behalf of EU states during the pandemic, was not immediately available for comment about shortages.

The EU executive is discussing with Gilead a new supply deal, meant to be sealed by late September or the beginning of October "to prevent a delivery gap", a Commission official told health experts from EU governments at a meeting in mid-September, minutes show.

The supplies secured so far by the EU were supposed to cover needs until the end of September. Several officials said new deliveries were expected shortly.

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Gilead has expanded its production capacity. Last week it said it was meeting US demand and expected to cover global needs in October, even in the event of future surges of Covid-19.

Available doses in the European Union have so far been divided according to the number of cases and hospitalization rates.

But not all EU states face shortages. Germany's health ministry said the stock for the Covid-19 drug was sufficient for the coming months.

(Writers: Anthony Deutsch, Alicja Ptak, Francesco Guarascio | Editors: Peter Graff, Richard Pullin)

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe-drugs/european-countries-face-shortages-of-covid-19-drug-remdesivir-idUSKBN26R2IR