Coronavirus: Anvisa authorizes tests with Remdesivir.

Last Wednesday (25), the drug Remdesivir was authorized by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) to application in patients infected with the new coronavirus. The release by the agency was not a surprise. Since early May, the drug has been used in critically ill patients in North America. Gilead, the manufacturer responsible for the drug abroad, was in negotiations with Anvisa to supply the medicine to Brazil. Originally developed for the treatment of Ebola, the drug underwent clinical trials in China at the beginning of the pandemic. According to Anvisa, it will be applied during a phase 3 study in hospitalized individuals with severe pneumonia caused by covid-19. In a random selection, the drug will be applied in combination with the immunoregulator tocilizumab. Another group of patients will also receive remdesivir, but combined with placebo so that the results of the drug can be identified.