General DC

By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) announced today granting conditional approval for Gilead Sciences Singapore Pte Ltd’s (Gilead) Veklury® (remdesivir).

Image/CIA

This will allow infectious diseases specialists to administer remdesivir for the treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 infection, who: Have oxygen saturation less than or equal to 94%, or; require supplemental oxygen, or; require more intensive breathing support such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or invasive mechanical ventilation.

Although the data on its efficacy and safety is very limited at this point in time, HSA has expedited the review of remdesivir given the urgent public health need during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the conditional approval, Gilead is required to collect the relevant safety data and to monitor the use of remdesivir. HSA will also require data from ongoing clinical studies to be submitted post-approval to ensure the continued safety and efficacy of the product.

Today, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified an additional 451 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. The total cases now stand at 38,965.

Dengue in Singapore: Cases top 10,000, Most cases in first five months since 2013

655 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 26,532 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

There are currently 223 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and 3 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 12,185 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. 25 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.