Washington Approves Emergency Use of Actemra Drug for COVID-19 Treatment

Under the title "America Approves Emergency Use of Actemra Drug for COVID-19," Sky News reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for the Actemra drug to treat adults and children with COVID-19 in hospitals. The emergency use authorization was issued to Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche Holding. The FDA stated that the drug can be used for patients receiving corticosteroids who require oxygen support or mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Genentech mentioned in a separate statement that the emergency use authorization is based on the results of four randomized controlled studies, evaluating the efficacy of Actemra for treating COVID-19 in over 5,500 hospitalized patients. The FDA noted that Actemra is not authorized for use in COVID-19 patients outside of hospitals. Additionally, the FDA explained that clinical trials have shown that the drug reduces the risk of death and the time patients take to recover in hospitals. Last year, the FDA also authorized the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir produced by Gilead Sciences for treating COVID-19 patients in hospitals.