Gilead to enroll pediatric patients for late-stage remdesivir study

(Reuters) – Drugmaker Gilead Sciences said on Wednesday it will soon begin enrollment of pediatric patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 in a late-stage study testing its experimental drug, remdesivir.

The trial will assess the effectiveness and safety of the drug in the patients, which would include newborns to adolescents, across more than 30 sites in the United States and Europe, the company said.

Gilead’s remdesivir, which has been at the forefront in the fight against the virus and has been given emergency use authorization in some countries, could be helpful in some patients after data showed it could shorten the time taken to recover from the disease.

The company is already running a late-stage study testing the drug in 6,000 patients with severe COVID-19.