The California Department of Health suggested distributing Remdesivir, which has “a positive effect in reducing the recovery time” of the coronavirus through a lottery.
The state agency received the medicine for an amount between 100 and 200 doses when there are more than 3,000 hospitalized for the coronavirus, according to WAB NEWS. Given the insufficiency of giving Remdesivir to all who need it, a guide was issued to hospitals suggesting ways on how to distribute it.
“If the supply of the drug is not adequate to serve all eligible patients, randomization among patients may be considered (for example, using a lottery system to select a certain proportion of patients who are eligible), says the guide ”.
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The recommendation acknowledges that “this situation will be difficult for patients and families, doctors and hospital staff.” But they say the guide is necessary when “there is not an adequate supply of a drug for all eligible hospitalized patients.”
Who can receive the medicine?
The Department of Food and Medicines authorized the use of the medicine for hospitalized patients who are a “severe” case of coronavirus. These are patients with low blood oxygen levels, those who need oxygen therapy or are on an artificial respirator.
The California guide prioritizes Remdesivir for essential workers. But no one can be excluded based on “age, disability, race, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation, immigration status, or perceived quality of life.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, said in April that Remdesivir had a “clear, significant, and positive effect in reducing recovery time.”
How is the federal distribution?
The distribution of the drug by the federal government was controversial. It was done in two ways. The first was given directly to hospitals, in some cases medical centers that did not need it, as happened in Massachusetts. The second was sent to state health agencies. California was not included in the first shipment of the drug despite being among the states with the most cases in the nation.
“The Department of Health and Human Services cast is akin to winning the lottery, a random stroke of luck rather than a medically informed decision,” Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Rosa DeLauro wrote in a letter. , from Connecticut to Secretary Alex Azar. There they asked for more information on how allocation decisions are being made and “a transparent process” for the distribution of treatment to the coronavirus.
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