WASHINGTON: Gilead Science Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States.
During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients.
“We’re humbled by this being an important first step for ... hospitalized patients. We want to make sure nothing gets in the way of these patients getting the medicine, so we made a decision to donate about 1.5 million vials,” he said.
Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after those donations are used up.
The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation.
Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority.
Countries around the world are reeling from the novel coronavirus. There are more than 1 million cases and over 63,000 people have died in the United States, where much of the country is on lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.
Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection.
Data released this week from a National Institutes of Health trial showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment.
Interest in Gilead’s drug has been high as there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, and doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases.
The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 3 million people and killed over 225,000 worldwide.
A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early.
Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system.
Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday.
US FDA authorizes emergency use of Gilead’s COVID-19 drug remdesivir
https://arab.news/8bkpz
US FDA authorizes emergency use of Gilead’s COVID-19 drug remdesivir
- During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step
- The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation
Trump 'Misunderstood' by Community, Arab-American Relative Tells Arab News
- Massad F. Boulos' son Michael is married to ex-US president's daughter Tiffany
- Boulos says he and other Arab Americans are organizing meetings with community leaders in several states
CHICAGO: Donald Trump is “misunderstood” by many Arab Americans due to “biased media” and false claims made by his Democratic foes, according to the Arab-American father-in-law of the former US president’s daughter, in an exclusive interview with Arab News.
Dr. Massad F. Boulos, whose son Michael married Trump’s fourth child Tiffany in 2022, said he is working with other Arab Americans to “clear up misunderstandings” that would help Trump win the Nov. 5 presidential election. Tiffany is Trump’s only child with his second wife Marla Maples.
Boulos said he and other Arab Americans are organizing meetings with community leaders in several states, including Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., New York, and Minnesota.
“Trump was a president who was absolutely misunderstood by many, not just because of the distortion of the biased media, but also by regular people. He was misunderstood. As we all know, he came into this as a businessman,” Boulos said.
“Unfortunately, some of the community in the past, four years ago, voted for (US President Joe) Biden and now they’re absolutely dissatisfied. Some of them have shifted to support President Trump.
“Some of them are undecided. We’re here to show them the truth, the actual facts, and show them the right choice, which is President Trump.”
Boulos and his son attended a meeting in Troy, Michigan, on May 21, to “clear up misunderstandings” and reinforce Trump’s commitment to Middle East peace and the Arab-American community. Boulos said Trump would be more effective than Biden, who is a “traditional politician.”
“Trump wasn’t a politician and he never has been, and probably never will be a politician in that sense, although I think he’s doing great. He’s a straight shooter. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. That’s who he is,” Boulos said.
“Biden is the absolute mainstream politician versus the successful businessman Trump, who is extremely smart, who is extremely sharp, who is extremely results-oriented. He’s a man of his word.
“He delivered on every single promise. We all know that had it not been for COVID, Trump would easily have been reelected in a landslide. He’s someone who’s greatly misunderstood.”
Boulos added: “For those who are undecided, we strongly believe in the coming three or four months they’ll turn in the right direction, which is the right. They’ve seen what’s going on.”
He said it is not true that Trump “banned Muslims” when he imposed a travel ban on seven countries, all afflicted by conflict: Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.
“This has been taken way out of proportion… This was never intended to be a Muslim ban. The media started using that expression and mobilized against him on it. It’s absolutely not the case,” Boulos said, adding that Trump was concerned about security issues in the seven countries and wanted to prevent bad actors from entering the US.
“It’s a high level of vetting, like any government ought to do and many governments around the world actually do, including Third World countries and developing countries.”
Boulos, an Orthodox Christian from Lebanon, said Trump is the “better choice” for Arab-American voters and has “always been close” to the community as a businessman.
“I think Trump is saying the right things. The Arab-American community shares the same values that he does,” said Boulos.
“The No. 1 issue today is the issue of war and peace. He’s a man of peace. He’s the only president who didn’t start any war.
“He’s the only president who has ended war and withdrew troops in a proper manner, not like we saw two years ago in Afghanistan.
“He was able to achieve four peace accords, and he was on his way to achieving more of those (Middle East) peace accords.”
Trump wants to see an economically prosperous Middle East, said Boulos, adding that he would have prevented the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
“Had President Trump been in the White House for a second term, all of these wars wouldn’t have taken place, whether it was the Ukraine war or the war in the Middle East… His doctrine is peace through strength, and it would continue to work, and all of these conflicts will come to an end.”
He said Trump is committed to a peaceful Middle East. “The Palestine-Israeli conflict was a top priority for him. He worked very hard and he was very close to it,” said Boulos.
“He got four peace accords to be signed, and he was working very hard to achieve more and the ultimate one, achieving a Palestinian-Israeli peace… Yes, this is a priority.”
Boulos said most Arabs embrace conservative values and identify with Trump and the Republicans.
He added that they support Trump’s goals of lowering taxes for families, reducing government bureaucracy, improving the economy, and creating more jobs.
“I don’t think there’s any member of the Arab-American community who’d disagree with those policies,” Boulos said.
“There’s a huge base of support within the Arab-American community that hasn’t shifted. There’s a solid base that has always been there. Many of them are Republican.
“Of course there have been some misunderstandings. There are some issues caused by the mainstream media and by the vicious opposition. His message needs to be heard in a much clearer way in our communities.
“So we’ll make sure his message is heard loud and clear. There are many ways to do that… to reach directly to the grassroots.
“For those who are hesitant or who are undecided, the message will be very clear and will help them make the right decision.”
Boulos said his family’s ties to Trump reflect the former president’s respect for Arab Americans and Muslims.
He emphasized that Trump has two sons-in-law from different backgrounds, “one who is Jewish and one who is Arab American. This shows you the type and kind of person that Donald Trump is, and that the Trump family is.
“The way they’ve embraced Michael, my son, and us as a family is really amazing, something I can’t easily describe. It’s extremely warm and just a family. To sum it up in one word, I’d say it’s a true family.”
Boulos said the meetings he is having with Arab-American leaders have not been organized by Trump’s political campaigners.
Boulos’ family owns a multibillion-dollar conglomerate in Nigeria that encompasses retail, construction, and vehicles.
Number of new German citizens hits another high last year, with many Syrians naturalized
- Last year, 75,500 people from Syria were naturalized — the biggest single group, accounting for 38 percent of the total
BERLIN: Germany saw another big increase in the number of people gaining citizenship last year as large numbers of people from Syria helped push naturalizations up to their highest level since at least 2000, according to official data released Tuesday.
About 200,100 people were granted German citizenship in 2023, the Federal Statistical Office said. That was an increase of about 31,000, or 19 percent, compared with the previous year.
The increase followed a 28 percent rise in 2022, which also was fueled by large numbers of Syrians being naturalized as increasing numbers of people who migrated to Germany between 2014 and 2016 fulfilled the requirements for citizenship.
Last year, 75,500 people from Syria were naturalized — the biggest single group, accounting for 38 percent of the total — the statistics office said. That number was up 56 percent compared with 2022. They had spent an average 6.8 years in Germany before becoming citizens.
About 10,700 citizens each of Turkiye and Iraq became German citizens last year, putting those groups in second place.
The overall number of new citizens was the highest since current records started in 2000 following a change in the law under which people of German ancestry from the former Soviet Union, who arrived in large numbers in the 1990s, were automatically granted citizenship rather than having to apply for it.
Requirements for being granted citizenship include a working knowledge of German and proof of being able to support oneself financially.
Under the law as it was last year, people were in principle required to have lived in Germany for at least eight years, though that didn’t apply to spouses and children. The period could be reduced to six years for people who show “special integration accomplishments” such as very good knowledge of the language, professional achievements or civic engagement.
Those rules are being eased under new legislation that will take effect on June 27. People will be eligible for citizenship after five years in Germany, or three in case of “special integration accomplishments.” German-born children will automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years, down from eight years now.
Restrictions on holding dual citizenship will also be dropped. In principle, most people from countries other than European Union members and Switzerland have had to give up their previous nationality when they gained German citizenship, though there were some exemptions.
Germany has about 84 million inhabitants.
UK’s Sunak proposes tax cuts for pensioners in new election pledge
- The number of pensioners in Britain rose by 140,000 to 12.6 million in the year to February 2023
- The new proposal, which the party termed “triple lock plus,” will cost 2.4 billion pounds a year by 2029/30
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday proposed tax cuts for millions of pensioners in his latest campaign pledge, highlighting the importance of older voters in the upcoming July election.
Sunak’s Conservative Party said it would introduce a new age-related allowance and deliver a tax cut of around 100 pounds ($128) for each of 8 million pensioners in 2025, rising to almost 300 pounds a year by the end of the next parliament.
“This bold action demonstrates we are on the side of pensioners. The alternative is Labour dragging everyone in receipt of the full state pension into income tax for the first time in history,” Sunak, who last week called a general election for July 4, said in the statement.
The number of pensioners in Britain rose by 140,000 to 12.6 million in the year to February 2023. Close to 50 million Britons will be eligible to vote in the election, which opinion polls predict is likely to end 14 years of Conservative rule in the country.
The Conservative Party said the proposal comes alongside the its commitment to the so-called triple lock, which guarantees increases to publicly funded pensions by the level of earnings, inflation or 2.5 percent, whichever is highest.
Labour has also committed to retain the policy, which was introduced by a Conservative government in 2011 to prevent pensioners from falling into poverty.
However, costs associated with it have come under increased scrutiny in recent years after British inflation soared, pushing up the government bill for state pensions by an additional 11 billion pounds last year.
The new proposal, which the party termed “triple lock plus,” will cost 2.4 billion pounds a year by 2029/30 and be funded through the government’s previously announced plan to raise an extra 6 billion pounds a year by clamping down on tax avoidance and evasion, the party said.
“This is just another desperate move from a chaotic Tory party torching any remaining facade of its claims to economic credibility,” Labour shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth said in a statement on the plans.
The paymaster general falls under the Treasury and acts as a banker for most government departments.
Thousands protest as Taiwan’s parliament passes contested reforms
- Parliament reforms give lawmakers the power to ask the military, private companies or individuals to disclose information deemed relevant by parliamentarians
TAIPEI: Thousands of people protested outside Taiwan’s parliament on Tuesday after it passed a reform package to increase oversight of the government pushed by the opposition but opposed by the ruling party, which did not have the numbers to block it.
The peaceful protests, and sometimes violent confrontations in parliament over the reforms, have been taking place against a backdrop of broader concern about efforts by China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, to influence the island’s politics.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Lai Ching-te won the presidency in January elections, but the party lost its majority in parliament. Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), along with the small Taiwan People’s Party, together have the most seats.
The parliament reforms give lawmakers the power to ask the military, private companies or individuals to disclose information deemed relevant by parliamentarians.
They also criminalize contempt of parliament by government officials, and require the president to give regular reports to parliament and answer lawmakers’ questions, which would be a first for Taiwan.
The DPP says the reforms were forced through without proper consultation and their content either vague or an over-reach of power, and on Tuesday its lawmakers threw garbage bags and paper planes at their opposition counterparts.
“You can seize parliament but you cannot seize public opinion,” DPP parliament leader Ker Chien-ming said in an address to the chamber, adding that Beijing had influenced Taiwanese politics.
Opposition lawmakers, holding sun-shaped balloons, shouted “let sunlight into parliament.” Both parties covered the chamber with banners.
The KMT has denounced the DPP for trying to “paint them red,” the color of China’s Communist Party, and says the DPP is trying to stymie efforts to investigate corruption cases and sow unfounded fears about the reforms.
Outside parliament, protesters showed their anger at the reforms being passed, and also shouted “refuse Chinese political interference,” among other slogans.
“This is the people’s voice,” said Zheng Hung-gun, 33, who works in the food industry. “Taiwanese are not afraid of enemies from outside but we are worried about our internal enemies.”
On Friday night, tens of thousands thronged the roads around parliament protesting the reforms.
Several senior KMT leaders have visited China this year, in what the party says is an effort to keep lines of communication open. It denies being pro-Beijing.
China refuses to speak to Lai or the DPP, saying they are “separatists.” Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future and has repeatedly offered talks with China, but been rebuffed.
UAE President arrives in Seoul for two-day state visit
DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for a two-day state visit after an invitation from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
After his arrival, Sheikh Mohamed, on X, said he and Yoon would discuss “ways to advance the special strategic partnership between the UAE and Republic of Korea. Through economic partnership and close people-to-people ties, our nations are determined to achieve further progress that benefits all.”
The president’s plane was escorted by military aircraft in a gesture of respect and welcome as it entered South Korean airspace, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Sheikh Mohamed is accompanied by a high-level delegation including Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al-Nahyan, adviser for special affairs at the presidential court; Ali bin Hammad Al-Shamsi, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for National Security; and Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Jaber, minister of industry and advanced technology.
Sheikh Mohamed is expected to discuss bilateral ties with his South Korean counterpart focusing on trade, investment, energy and technology.
They will also address regional and international developments of common interest, WAM reported.
“The meeting comes within the framework of strategic partnership between the UAE and South Korea in line with their vision to achieve a better and more prosperous future for the countries,” according to the WAM report.
The UAE president is expected to travel to China on May 30 for a state visit when Beijing hosts Arab leaders for the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.
The forum aims to deepen “consensus between China and Arab countries” and “issue a common voice between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue,” said China’s Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li.
