EU officials to talk with Gilead on Covid-19 drug

Bloomberg

European Union officials were expected to talk with Gilead Sciences Inc executives on Monday to hammer out a deal to secure its antiviral drug remdesivir to combat the coronavirus, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides was expected to speak with Gilead about purchasing the drug on behalf of 16 EU members, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark, the person said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are ongoing. Kyriakides is also expected to inquire about Gilead’s production capacity and timeline for delivery.
The discussions follow a US deal last week to snap up almost all the drugmaker’s supplies of remdesivir in the coming months, a move that sparked concern other countries wouldn’t have sufficient stocks. Countries including the UK, Germany and Switzerland sought to reassure the public that they would have enough amid broader worries about countries racing ahead of other regions to lock up access to treatments and vaccines needed to help end the pandemic.
Remdesivir became one of the first used drugs for Covid-19 after a large clinical trial found the medicine sped recovery by four days in patients.