5 Western Pa. UPMC hospitals given covid-19 drug

Five Pittsburgh-area UPMC hospitals have received shipments of the antiviral medication remdesivir to treat hospital patients with covid-19, the Pennsylvania Health Department said.

UMPC Presbyterian, Mercy, Shadyside and St. Margaret, all in Pittsburgh; and Passavant in McCandless were among the 73 hospitals in the state to receive a total of 4,400 doses of medication, the health department said.

UPMC Presbyterian received 54 doses of the medication, Shadyside received 36, and St. Margaret, Mercy and Passavant, each received 18 doses. The federal government sent the shipment to the state on Wednesday and the entire allotment has been shipped to hospitals.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said, “it is important to note that there is limited information on the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with covid-19. But, it has been shown in a clinical trial to shorten the recovery time in some people, which is why the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the medication for treatment.”

Remdesivir is given to a patient through an IV once per day for up to 10 days, depending on the seriousness of the patient’s condition. Remdesivir may help decrease the amount of coronavirus in the body, which may lead to a faster recovery, the FDA said.

The Health Department first distributed 1,200 doses of the medication to 51 hospitals across Pennsylvania on May 12. A second round of close to 8,000 doses was sent to 79 hospitals on May 15 and May 18, and a third round was distributed to 81 hospitals on May 22.

The hospitals that have received these shipments were determined based on the number of covid-19 patients at the hospital over a recent seven-day period, and the severity of the illness of those patients based on whether they are on a ventilator.