Maine Receives First Shipment of Remdesivir

Maine has received its first shipment of a new drug used to treat people who are suffering from the most severe symptoms of COVID-19.

CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said remdesivir is the only FDA-approved drug shown to help patients battling the coronavirus. The drug is made at Gilead Science on Foster City, California.

Dr. Shah said within an hour of the shipment arriving on Tuesday, the drug was sent out to Maine hospitals.

The state received enough of the drug to treat 50 critically ill patients.