Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc (IPIX)

[StockJumper25]

Thanks George. As usually for IPIX we have a very big concern for the back channel options being developed for Gilead to continue to pump Veklury into hospitals. Primary concerns for getting a start to recognized the possibility of using or getting approval for OTHER EUA drug treatments it the issue of "PAY TO PLAY" incentives by hospitals.

I continue to hope we have great results from P2 trials and Brilacidin will prove to be superior to any viral treatments to date for MERS, SARS, and COVID viruses


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Remdesivir costs $520 a vial, or $3,120 for a patient with private health insurance undergoing the typical six-vial treatment course. For 2020, Gilead Science reported around $24.35 billion in sales.

By comparison, the EUA-only monoclonal antibodies from Regeneron (REGEN-COV, a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab) cost less: around $2,100 per dose. The federal government covers that cost. Any costs to the patient would have to do with administration of the treatment; those costs can vary per health insurance.

Hospitals have a financial incentive if they administer remdesivir. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gives hospitals a New COVID-19 Treatments Add-On Payment (NCTAP), a 20 percent bonus for any remdesivir treatments.


Mixed results on efficacy and safety:

Research on remdesivir’s efficacy and safety have arrived at mixed conclusions.

Some studies cast doubt on its safety, citing findings of adverse effects including respiratory and organ failure, low potassium, low red blood and platelet cell counts, gastrointestinal distress, low blood pressure, nausea, and vomiting. A pervasive concern has focused on remdesivir’s connection to kidney failure in COVID-19 patients.

Johns Hopkins Medicine speculated last May that COVID-19 itself might be the culprit for kidney damage or failure. That was published several weeks after remdesivir received its emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA.

In July, a study found that veterans who received remdesivir experienced longer hospital stays than those who didn’t. They also found no difference in mortality rates between those who received remdesivir and those who didn’t.

Some research abroad has concurred with these findings. A German study released last month stated that they weren’t confident in remdesivir’s ability to reduce or prevent intubation or mortalities.

In February and April studies, French researchers reported a correlation between remdesivir and kidney failure. A January review of remdesivir published by the American Society of Nephrology suggested that remdesivir not be administered to COVID-19 patients due to the kidney failure that occurred in animal testing.

And then there are the anecdotal reports of remdesivir’s impact. State Senator Kelly Townsend (R-Mesa), reported that two law enforcement officers were denied their choice of treatment – either ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine – and were instead given remdesivir. Shortly after, Townsend said that the two officers died due to kidney failure.

“I have asked @dougducey’s office for consideration re people’s right to try Ivermectin or HCQ [hydroxychloroquine] but are being denied while in hospital. A healthy border patrol agent just died who was denied access to potentially life-saving treatment & now a retired female Tucson police officer. She is on a ventilator,” wrote Townsend. “Both given Remdisivir, both have/had kidney failure. This denial of meds is criminal.”

Reference link:
https://azfreenews.com/2021/09/the-curiosity-of-remdesivir-the-fdas-choice-covid-19-treatment/