Serbia buys remdesivir, new anti-Covid drug Trump was treated with: Here's when it will be available

A new drug to treat coronavirus infection, remdesivir, will be available to patients in Serbia starting on Monday

The director of the State Health Insurance Fund, Sanja Radojevic Skodric, told RTS that Serbia has procured remdesivir and that its distribution would start on Monday.

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"It's a very expensive medicine, which is given only in a certain phase of the disease and will be given only after a council (of doctors) makes that decision," said Radojevic Skodric.

Because of the coronavirus epidemic, and until we have a vaccine against it, it is especially important that all vulnerable groups receive seasonal flu vaccine, but also the one against pneumococci, she stressed.

Additional quantities of anti-pneumococci vaccine have arrived in Serbia, which is especially important when it comes to immunization of people over the age of 65 who are residents in nursing homes.

Trump was also treated with Remdesivir

U.S. president's doctor Sean P. Conley has revealed that Trump was treated with remdesivir and dexamethasone.

Also, Trump's therapy against coronavirus included a cocktail of antibodies which is currently being tested in clinical trials. Trump is perhaps the only patient in the world who received these three medicines.

Studies have shown that taking remdesivir for five days can speed up recovery in some patients. However, it can also lead to side effects such as anemia and liver and kidney toxicity.

Remdesivir is administered intravenously, so patients are mostly hospitalized while receiving the drug.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)