The European Medicines Agency is starting a review of Gilead's remdesivir after reports that some patients taking the drug developed acute kidney injury.
The agency said a safety committee will determine if there's a causal relationship between remdesivir and acute kidney injury and will update the drug's guidance for usage accordingly.
Remdesivir's guidance already advises physicians to monitor patients for renal impairment before and during treatment and says not to give the drug to patients with a decrease in renal function.
Kidney injury in the patients could have been caused by other factors, including diabetes, and COVID-19 itself is known to be a cause of kidney injury, the European Medicines Agency said.
The recommendations for remdesivir haven't changed.
President Donald Trump was given remdesivir Oct. 2 after being hospitalized for COVID-19.
Read the European Medicines Agency's full news release here.