FDA Approves Use of Antiviral Drug Remdesivir as an Outpatient Therapy

Federal regulators Friday approved the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir for COVID-19 outpatients at high risk of being hospitalized, providing a new treatment option for doctors struggling with shortages of effective drugs to counter the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration said the intravenous treatment, which had been limited to patients in the hospital, could be administered to outpatients with mild-to-moderate illness. A recent study found that remdesivir reduced hospitalization and death by 87 percent when given soon after a coronavirus diagnosis compared with patients who did not get the drug.