Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions members push for HHS transparency on remdesivir

Concerned about the level of transparency being provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over the distribution of the antiviral remdesivir, senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee are pressing for information.

Remdesivir is a therapeutic currently being evaluated for use on hospitalized COVID-19 patients. During studies with the federal government, the Gilead Sciences-created drug showed the ability to reduce the time to recovery for hospitalized patients. However, its results were modest overall, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is currently evaluating its worth when paired with other drugs — baricitinib in this case.

Now, U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and 11 Democrat colleagues have pressed for a briefing from administration officials in charge of the remdesivir hospital allocation process. In their letter, they cited concerns raised by hospitals, health providers, and patients, who have charged that process as opaque and called into question the future supply and its capabilities to meet patient needs.

“We acknowledge that the limited current supply and substantial demand for remdesivir results in necessary choices about distribution,” the senators wrote. “However, in the midst of this pandemic, it is unacceptable for our health care system and patients to be left in the dark about if, how, and when, supply of this therapeutic may arrive. Given the likelihood of future therapeutics and vaccines being approved or authorized for use in the U.S., it is essential that the Administration assuage concerns about this initial test run of such federal distribution and any potentially unfair system for distributing essential medical supplies.”

Earlier this month, HHS announced plans for additional shipments to states. For the senators, this left a variety of questions circling timing, supply chains, and the amounts being allocated to each state unanswered.

“To ensure equitable distribution of this treatment for COVID-19 patients, we request a briefing by May 19 from the Administration officials in charge of this allocation process,” the senators wrote. “Further, we urge your agencies to establish a public-facing portal to outline the methodology being used to allocate this therapeutic, as well as a process for hospitals to request access to remdesivir.”