By Dean Seal

Gilead Sciences Inc. said Friday that a major European regulator has recommended the company's Covid-19 treatment, remdesivir, to be used to treat children.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, part of the European Medicines Agency, adopted the positive opinion that the indication for remdesivir, sold as Veklury, should be extended to treat certain pediatric patients, including those who don't require supplemental oxygen and are at increased risk of progressing to severe Covid-19. The regulator also recommended that remdesivir be used to treat those who are least 4 weeks old with SARS-CoV-2 and pneumonia who do require supplemental oxygen.

The European Commission will now review the recommendation. If adopted, Veklury would be the only Covid-19 treatment approved for adolescents at high risk of progressing to a severe form of the virus and pediatric patients who require supplemental oxygen.

In the European Economic Area, Veklury is the only antiviral approved to treat adults with Covid-19 who don't require supplemental oxygen and are at risk of developing a severe form of the disease, the company said.

Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 16, 2022 07:31 ET (11:31 GMT)

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