Jefferson Bucks Hospital Will Receive Shipment Of Remdesivir

A shipment of remdesivir is headed to Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Falls Township.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 21 hospitals will receive the drug that has shown some early signs of reducing COVID-19 patient recovery times. Last week, the state said they were releasing a previous shipment of doses to 51 hospitals, including St. Mary Medical Center.

According to state data, Jefferson Bucks Hospital will receive 54 vials.

The hospital has averaged 15 COVID-19 patients and 1.4 on ventilators.

The remdesivir distributed by the state came from a federal stockpile.

“The department will continue to work with our federal partners to acquire more doses of this medication to serve more patients across Pennsylvania,” state health officials said.

In 2009, Gilead Sciences created remdesivir as the company developed medications to fight hepatitis C. Research found the drug was unable to be used in that line of treatment, but it was noted to have some impact on helping Ebola patients and also worked as a treatment for several viruses.

Hospitals administer remdesivir through an IV once per day for up to 10 days, depending on how critically ill the patient is. According to the federal government, remdesivir may help decrease the amount of coronavirus in a person’s body, which may help patients get better faster.

A bipartisan group of officials who represent Bucks County on the local, state, and federal levels asked the state in a letter for “full and fair consideration” when allotting the drug to local hospitals.

The additional doses announced for distribution on Friday came after “numerous conversations” with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Fitzpatrick’s office said.

“As we fight to combat this virus, the distribution process must be more transparent. I applaud Secretary Levine for adopting a transparent system for the initial distribution of the drug and thank all the elected officials that joined with me to push for transparency. As we work to address this issue on the federal side, my staff and I will continue to have future conversations with HHS on the distribution process and will continue to work to ensure the men and women on the frontlines have the tools they need to save lives,” Fitzpatrick said.

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