Why remdesivir, a highly effective COVID treatment, is a last resort for providers

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/02/07/ [login to see] /why-remdesivir-a-highly-effective-treatment-is-a-last-resort-for-providers
In late December, as the omicron variant surged, the roster of early COVID-19 treatments was looking slim. Newly authorized pills for COVID-19 were in short supply. Several monoclonal antibody drugs didn't seem to work.

Then an older drug, remdesivir, emerged as an effective option.

Over the past year and a half, the drug — sold in the U.S. under the brand Veklury — had been used in hospitals to treat very sick patients with COVID-19. But new data from the drugmaker Gilead showed that remdesivir could also help high-risk patients avoid the hospital. In other words, it could help patients with medical conditions like immune suppression and diabetes avoid severe COVID-19 disease.