The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it expanded the approval of Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Veklury to include pediatric patients between the ages of four weeks and 12 years old. (Infants must also weigh at least seven pounds.) Veklury is a COVID-19 treatment for patients who have been hospitalized or who have mild or moderate infections but are at high risk of severe COVID-19. The drug previously received emergency authorization for this group of pediatric patients. “As COVID-19 can cause severe illness in children, some of whom do not currently have a vaccination option, there continues to be a need for safe and effective COVID-19 treatment options for this population,” Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. Gilead’s stock is down 14.7% this year, while the broader S&P 500 has declined 10.3%.
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