Wednesday, August 05, 2020

To maximize profits....

 A watchdog group allied with some scientists urged the federal government and Gilead, the maker of the promising drug remdesivir, to explain why they have not pursued a similar treatment that might be cheaper for consumers though possibly less profitable to the company.

The drug in question, known as GS-4441524, closely resembles remdesivir in chemical makeup, Public Citizen and scientist co-signers wrote in a joint letter to Gilead and United States federal government agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. 

 GS-4441524:
  • Has demonstrated marked effectiveness and safety in the treatment of a lethal coronavirus infection in cats;
  • Has been shown in cultured cells to have antiviral activity against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 that appears to be similar or superior to that of remdesivir, and at levels achievable in the body with low toxicity;
  • Enters lung cells and is converted to its active form that halts reproduction of the coronavirus;
  • Is a smaller molecule and is more water soluble than remdesivir, possibly facilitating its use in oral or inhaled forms for treatment of COVID-19, whereas remdesivir is currently limited to intravenous use only;
  • Is substantially easier to manufacture than remdesivir; and
  • In humans, following injection of remdesivir, GS-441524 is the predominant substance that provides antiviral therapeutic effects in the lungs.
In its letter, Public Citizen expressed concern over the drug's development and the possible motivations the company may have for putting one drug into trials over the other.

"It is unclear why Gilead and federal scientists have not been pursuing GS-441524 as aggressively as remdesivir, but the answer may be found in the corporation’s patent holdings," the group said. "Gilead holds patents on both agents, but the earliest patent approval date on remdesivir is 2015, whereas the earliest on GS-441524 is 2010. As a result, the corporation’s monopoly over remdesivir may last five years longer than that for GS-441524, allowing Gilead to make substantially greater profits from the sale of remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment."

Michael Abrams, a health researcher with Public Citizen's Health Research Group and lead author of the Tuesday's letter, said:
"It is sadly predictable that Big Pharma responds to a global pandemic by trying to bring to market only those drugs that maximize its profits..."

No comments: