Remdesivir offered a glimmer of hope in the fight against the coronavirus this week when results of a promising clinical trial were released.
After the trial revealed it could speed up recovery in some patients, Dr. Anthony Fauci called it a “very important first step” in the treatment of the bug, and said the FDA will likely approve the medication for use against the virus “really quickly.”
Creator Gilead Sciences vowed to create “create enough supply for people all over the world.”
Here’s what else you need to know:
What is Remdesivir and what was it developed for?
An experimental antiviral medication developed by the US pharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences initially to treat Ebola.
Developed in 2015, the medication showed early promise in a primate study and was later released in the Democratic Republic of Congo — but it ultimately flopped as an effective treatment for Ebola.
“It never really showed promise; it more or less failed against Ebola,” Peter Pitts, a former associate commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told The Post. “So doctors said, ‘Let’s see if this works against COVID-19.’”
How effective is Remdesivir against the coronavirus?
The results of a clinical trial of more than 1,000 people found that hospitalized COVID-19 patients with respiratory problems got better 31 percent faster than those who took a placebo, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
But Pitts warned that the drug has shown to a benefit for only the sickest of the sick — hospitalized patients who are elderly, have respiratory problems or preexisting health trouble.
“It’s saving lives but it’s not a game-changer,” he said. “Clinical trials have shown it has led to recovery in 4 to 10 percent of this desperately ill population.”
He added, “85 percent of people with the virus will ride it out at home with fluids in bed; it’s not for them. This is not a drug for everyone.”
How does Remdesivir work?
To get the job done, the drug mimics adenosine, one of the four building blocks of ribonucleic acid — also known as RNA.
When the virus incorporates Remdesivir into its genome instead of adenosine, it is unable to replicate, according to AFP.
“It inserts itself into the viral ribonucleic acid, and causes the virus to terminate prematurely,” Pitt explained.
What are the side effects of Remdesivir?
According to the results of the latest study released by Gilead Sciences, the most common adverse reactions were nausea and acute respiratory failure. Around 7 percent of patients had elevated liver enzymes.
How much will Remdesivir cost?
That remains unclear, though Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O’Day told Stat News this week that it is donating 1.5 million doses of the drug — around 140,000 treatment courses — to hospitals and vowed to “work very closely with the government and with health care systems to make sure that it’s accessible, that it’s affordable to governments” in the future.
“This is a global pandemic. There should be no question about our ability to get medicine in the hands of patients, and that’s how we’re going to approach the period of time after the donation,” he told the outlet.
Are doctors in New York already using Remdesivir?
Yes. At least 700 patients at the North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center have received the drug, according to Dr. Marcia Epstein, a lead investigator working on the trials at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health.
She declined to comment on the outcome of the trials, which began last month.
How excited should we be about Remdesivir?
It’s a treatment not a miracle cure, and doctors say they need to know more. Some experts consider it a “proof of concept” that could pave the way for better treatments.
“Clinical trials have shown a very positive impact on those hospitalized,” Pitts said. “But right now, it is still an experimental medicine.”
