When can we reclaim our precious daily life lost in the corona crisis? 'Therapeutic drug development' is currently considered to have shown the greatest possibility of overcoming corona. One of the leading corona19 treatments currently under development is'Remdesivir'. 

In a clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health, Remdesivir is reported to reduce hospitalization for Corona19 patients by 31% from 15 days to 11 days. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved urgent use of remedyvir to administer severe corona19 patients who need oxygen therapy. On the 3rd, as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved special imports, Remdesivir could be used in Korea. 

Remdesibir, like a single ray of light in the swamp of the long and long corona, its price was unveiled in the United States today (local time 29th). Then, in Korea, we will answer a number of questions, such as how much remedyvir treatment will cost, who can be prescribed, and more in'News Pick Q&A'. 


Q. How much is the price of Remedyvir for Corona treatment?
A. It is known that approximately $3,120 (approximately 3.75 million won) for remedyvir treatment has been established. 


The price of a single dose of Remdecivir released in the United States is $380 for public health insurance (approximately 450,000 won) and $520 for private insurance (approximately 620,000 won). Manufacturers'Gilliard Science' set the price like this, according to the Wall Street Journal of the United States.

U.S. pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences originally developed Remedyvir as another anti-epidemic drug for the Ebola virus. Gilead Sciences is also famous for its flu drug Tamiflu.

It is said that Gilead Sciences calculated the total cost of remedyvir by taking it twice a day on the first day of administration and once a day from the next day, and in the shortest case, it took 5 days for treatment. This is a total of six doses. In this case, public insurance subscribers have to pay $2,340 (approximately 281 million won) and private insurance subscribers pay $3,120 (approximately 3.75 million won). The longer the treatment, the more the drug will cost. 

For reference, the drug price is divided into two because of the special medical insurance system in the United States, and public insurance subscribers pay less than the private market price. 

Q. How much do I have to pay if I am prescribed Remedyvir in Korea?
A. The authorities say that since Corona 19 is a first-class infectious disease, there is no cost to the patient.


Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters, said in a briefing on the 5th, "The National Health Insurance Corporation pays the cost of treatment for first-class infectious diseases, and the state pays for the co-payment. I said. It means that there is no personal payment.

It is reported that the cost of importing Remdesibir has not yet been determined. Young-Rae Son, Head of Strategic Planning at Central Accidents Headquarters, said in a briefing today (30th), "If Remdesibir enters Korea through emergency approval, it is necessary to negotiate the drug price. It is difficult to predict how much the domestic price will be due to the negotiation process. "I said.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved the special import of Remdesivir on the 3rd. When Gilead Science Korea, a Korean subsidiary of the manufacturer Gilead Sciences, informs the head office of the required amount in Korea, the headquarters in the United States distributes the amount, and Remdesibir is supplied to Korea.

The Korean government plans to announce the detailed guidelines when the quantity of imports, plans to secure, and unit prices of Remdesibir become more specific. Kwon Joon-wook, deputy general manager of the Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters, said in a briefing today (30th), "We expect to be able to negotiate supply to countries other than the United States after August, as supply in the United States is a priority."

Q. So, can I be prescribed Remedyvir for free?
A. Not everyone in the public or Corona19 can receive Remdevir. 


The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the medical industry say that "adult patients" can receive not only adults but also pediatric patients within 10 days. Shall we look at the category of'severe'? Among patients with corona19, cases where the degree of oxygen saturation falls below a certain level or requires supplemental oxygen treatment is considered as a serious inpatient. In addition, a serious patient who needs extracorporeal membrane oxygen therapy treatment, or so-called'Ekmo', an artificial cardiopulmonary device, may be prescribed remedyvir. 

As of today (30th), as of 00:00, there are 12,800 domestic coroners, 981 of which are in quarantine. Among them, a total of 32 patients (11 severe, 21 of the stomach) were diagnosed with severe or severe stages of oxygen therapy. 
Q. The President of the United States, Trump, took another medicine than Remdesivir, must it be Remsivir?
A. The drug is'hydroxychloroquine', which should not be taken as a cure for Corona19. 


In Korea, the Central Clinical Commission for Infectious Diseases is the official recommendation for the administration of severe corona patients in Korea. The treatments for malaria,'chloroquine' and'hydroxychloroquine', withdrew their recommendations. 

Hydroxychloroquin became famous when President Trump praised it as a'Gift of God' and took it. However, the U.S. FDA has canceled the emergency use of these two types of treatment for malaria because it poses a significant risk to patients, and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently suspended clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine. 

Currently, there are 13 types of treatments or vaccines in clinical trials in Korea for corona treatment. The National Clinical Trial Support Foundation has approved the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and said that there are 12 types of treatments under clinical trials, such as remedyvir and varicinib, and one vaccine called INO-4800. 

It is estimated that the drug'Kaletra', an AIDS treatment used in severe patients in the early stages of corona in Korea, is considered to be ineffective, and is recommended to be carefully administered. Is the position. 

This is'News Pick'.