Gilead COVID-19 antiviral remdesivir sent to fight Ebola in Africa
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The U.S. provided Uganda with the shipments of COVID-19 antiviral remdesivir developed by Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last week to contain an Ebola outbreak caused by a highly virulent form of the virus.
The Sudan species of Ebola, which has no proven vaccines or treatments, has so far led to 60 infections and 44 deaths, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing U.S. government sources.
Along with remdesivir, the U.S. has sent MBP134, an Ebola antibody drug developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc.
The San Diego-based company won a $110M contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) early this month for the experimental therapy.
Uganda health minister Jane Ruth Aceng confirmed the U.S. shipments last week and said remdesivir and an unnamed monoclonal antibody had been administered to healthcare workers.
A pre-clinical study for MBP134 and remdesivir using non-human primates has indicated that the treatments in combination have led to a survival rate of 80% in animals infected with the Sudan species of Ebola compared to 20% as single agents.
GILD's revenue surged in 2021 thanks to remdesivir sales as the intravenous injection, also known as Veklury, added $5.6B in sales globally with ~98% YoY growth.