EU agency recommends drug remdesivir be approved to treat Covid-19

Medical staff prepare to perform nucleic acid test at a local community in Beijing. Photo: dpa.

The European Commission still has to give approval to the drug, though this is largely a formality.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended remdesivir be approved for treating Covid-19, the first such medicine to gain the agency's go-ahead for use in Europe.

According to the recommendation, the drug should be approved for treating Covid-19 patients over the age of 12 who require supplemental oxygen.

The European Commission still has to give approval to the drug, though this is largely a formality.

"Data on remdesivir were assessed in an exceptionally short timeframe through a rolling review procedure, an approach used by EMA during public health emergencies to assess data as they become available," the EMA statement said.