Tester: Montana Set To Receive 12 Cases of Remdesivir to Help Treat COVID-19

Antiviral drug has emergency authorization to treat COVID-19 patients

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that Montana is set to receive a shipment of 12 cases of the antiviral drug remdesivir to help treat Montanans hospitalized with cases of COVID-19.

“During this public health crisis, we need every tool in the toolbox available to us to help combat the rising tide of infections,” Tester said. “And while this is welcome news that will give folks hit hardest a fighting chance to survive, we cannot let our guard down. I’ll keep holding this Administration accountable to Montana and make sure this and other critical shipments of medical supplies arrive as promised, so that our front line health care workers have what they need to keep us—and themselves—safe.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), administering remdesivir has been shown to speed recovery times for patients who have severe cases of COVID-19. The FDA gave emergency authorization for remdesivir to be used in treating COVID-19 earlier this spring. Montana’s 12 cases of remdesivir contain 40 vials per case, with the average patient receiving 6.25 vials over a five-day course of treatment.

Tester has fought to hold the Trump Administration accountable to Montana and ensure that critically-needed supplies for front line health care workers go where they are needed most. Last week he led his colleagues in urging Trump to increase the production and distribution of personal protective equipment and improve the nation’s testing and contact tracing capacity to stem the rising tide of infections, and he recently secured nearly $2 million for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Laboratory to help with testing and immunization support.