Gilead Sciences.................and the FDA & Joe Grogan in the background..........
FDA Grants Experimental Coronavirus Drug Benefits For Rare Disease Treatments
March 24, 20207:26 PM ET
SYDNEY LUPKIN
The Food and Drug Administration gave an experimental medicine called remdesivir to treat COVID-19 what's called orphan drug status on Monday.
To qualify for an orphan designation, drug companies must show that their product will treat a population of fewer than 200,000 patients or that it would be unprofitable.
With more than 52,000 confirmed U.S. cases of COVID-19 reported as of Tuesday afternoon, the illness is under the technical threshold for a rare disease. But cases are rising quickly and it seems inevitable that they will surpass 200,000.
The agency's decision would provide lucrative incentives to the drug's maker, Gilead Sciences, and could keep lower-priced generic versions of the medicine off the market for several years if remdesivir is approved for use, public health advocates say.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/24/821035311/fda-grants-experimental-coronavirus-drug-benefits-for-rare-disease-treatments
