Glass in Vial Leads to Recall of One Lot of Veklury

Gilead Sciences is issuing a voluntary recall of one lot of Veklury (remdesivir) for Injection 100 mg/vial because of glass found in a vial. Gilead had received a customer complaint and confirmed the presence of the glass particle in the vial. Veklury is indicated to treat adults and children who are hospitalized with COVID-19.

The administration of an injectable product that contains glass particles may result in local irritation or swelling in response. The glass particulate can potentially travel, through the blood vessels, to various organs and block blood vessels in the heart, lungs or brain which can cause stroke and even lead to death.

To date, Gilead has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.

The lot affected by the recall is 47035CFA with an expiration date of November 2025. It was distributed between July 16, 2024, and Aug. 7, 2024.

Veklury sales decreased 16% to $214 million in the second quarter 2024, compared with the same period in 2023. Company officials said this was because of lower rates of COVID-19 related hospitalizations. For the full year 2023, sales of Veklury were $2.2 billion, down 44% from 2022.

In March 2024, Gilead released data showing that Veklury was associated with a reduced risk of certain long-COVID symptoms in people who were hospitalized for COVID-19. In a separate study, Veklury use was associated with significantly reduced mortality among people who were immunocompromised. A third analysis revealed that treatment with Veklury and dexamethasone among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 was associated with reduced mortality compared with treatment with only dexamethasone.