Petition · past parliament
Allow severely afflicted COVID-19 patients to take remdesivir antiviral meds
Rejected
14 signatures
What the petition asks
Allow severely ill COVID-19 patients to elect to be treated with remdesivir and potentially other antiviral medicines that appear to be effective against COVID-19 even though clinical trials are not yet complete. Patients shall have informed consent.
Remdesivir has been administered to terminal COVID-19 patients in the U.S. and Japan. Those patients reportedly made remarkable recoveries. Clinical testing is ongoing, but the time it takes to complete the trials means that the drug is unlikely to be approved in time to stem the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Administering remdesivir and other antiviral drugs to severely ill patients could substantially reduce the number of deaths in Britain from the Coronavirus, if government acts now.
Administering remdesivir and other antiviral drugs to severely ill patients could substantially reduce the number of deaths in Britain from the Coronavirus, if government acts now.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Treatment decisions are a matter for the NHS and not Parliament or Government.
Timeline
| 15 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 20 Mar 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
14
Status
Rejected
Rejected
20 Mar 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.