A drug that has been shown to shorten the recovery time for some COVID-19 patients is now available at three hospitals operated by Piedmont Healthcare.
Piedmont is participating in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) expanded access program for the antiviral drug remdesivir, which was granted emergency use authorization May 1.
The drug is available to patients at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital and at Piedmont Columbus Regional’s Midtown campus and may be expanded to other Piedmont hospitals.
Why it Matters: Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, has been shown to be effective in cutting down the recovery time in COVID-19 patients and shows some promise in reducing the death rate.
FDA expanded access programs allow patients with immediately life-threatening conditions or a serious disease access to an investigational medical product outside of clinical trials when no comparable or alternative options are available.
“Piedmont’s providers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Charles Brown, CEO of Piedmont Healthcare’s Physician Enterprise. “Remdesivir gives them another tool to help care for our patients.”
For Piedmont, this will represent the second chance to work with remdesivir.
“We had a positive experience with remdesivir early in the pandemic and are excited to be able to provide to our patients again,” said Dr. Amy Hajari Case, Piedmont’s medical director of pulmonary and critical care research and principal site director for the program at Piedmont Atlanta.
