US FDA grants orphan drug designation for potential Covid-19 treatment Remdesivir

This will hasten use of the drug to combat coronavirus

• OOPD provides incentives for sponsors to develop products for rare diseases
• program enables the development and marketing of drugs, biologics, and medical devices for rare diseases
• Orphan Drug Designation Program provides orphan status to drugs and biologics which are defined as those intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases/disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S., or that affect more than 200,000 persons but are not expected to recover the costs of developing and marketing a treatment drug.

Remdesivir is a nucleotide prodrug that blocks a key enzyme needed for viral replication