Some hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots running short of remdesivir

(HealthDay)—Some U.S. hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots are running short of the antiviral drug remdesivir—the only drug authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the disease—while hospitals in other regions have stocks of the drug that are going unused.

The federal government is overseeing distribution of remdesivir. In the coming week, allocations of remdesivir to states "will emphasize locations with large recent increases," a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told CNN.

But the amounts of the drug cited by the spokesperson to be shipped to four hotspot states—Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas—are far smaller than the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in those states.

The spokesperson also told CNN that the company hired to distribute remdesivir will contact each hospital that received the drug to confirm that it still needs it.