European countries say they have enough Covid-19 drug after US snaps up bulk of supply

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COUNTRIES including Britain, Germany and Switzerland have sought to allay concerns that they do not have sufficient stocks of Gilead Sciences' remdesivir, one of two drugs shown to treat Covid-19, after the United States forged a deal to snap up almost all the supplies for three months.

The United Kingdom worked with Gilead in May to secure the drug in advance and has enough of the medicine to treat every National Health Service patient who needs it, officials said on Wednesday. Switzerland has supplies of the drug set aside for seriously ill patients, said a government spokesman.

Despite such reassurances following the US agreement announced earlier this week, questions remain about whether some nations will have adequate supplies. The news fuelled worries about countries like the US locking up access to drugs, vaccines and other pandemic essentials to place themselves in the best possible position to fight the virus.

"This has definitely sent shivers through the EU," said Thomas Senderovitz, director-general of the Danish Medicines Agency. "It will be discussed how to avoid a situation like this going forward."

An earlier move by the Trump administration to buy hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that the US president touted as a coronavirus cure, left patients who rely on it for chronic diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis struggling to obtain it.

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Concerns about the US elbowing its way to the front of the vaccine line arose in May when Sanofi chief executive officer Paul Hudson said that its shots might be available there first because one of the country's agencies helped fund its development.

Sanofi said later that its vaccine would be available to everyone. Groups including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations are working to ensure that vaccines are available worldwide.

Infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci said the goal should be "trying to get some reasonable equitable type of distribution, particularly when you have a product that's limited".

The US secured "an amazing deal" for Gilead's entire projected production of the medicine for July, as well as 90 per cent of the output for August and September, Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar said on Monday.

Gilead said earlier this week that it plans to charge US$390 a vial, or US$2,340 for a five-day regimen, for direct government purchases by the US or other developed countries. A one-price model would avoid the need for negotiations that could slow down access, the company said.

It is still unclear how much the US move will hamper other nations in their bid to gain the medicine.

The Netherlands has adequate supplies of remdesivir that were donated by Gilead, said its health ministry; a spokesman for Germany's health minister said the country also has adequate supplies.

Gilead has donated its supplies through June, and said it has agreements with manufacturers of generics, which will allow access for developing nations and boost the amounts available worldwide. BLOOMBERG