The Strange Story Of Remdesivir, A Covid Drug That Doesn’t Work

While clinical trials suggest remdesivir isn't very effective in treating Covid-19, recent studies have shown that it does block Coronavirus activity. That apparent contradiction makes the antiviral drug even more controversial.

A Much-Hyped COVID-19 Drug Is Almost Identical to a Black-Market Cat Cure

Cat owners are resorting to China’s underground marketplace to buy antivirals for a feline coronavirus.

Covid Treatment Options Remain Elusive, Despite Months of Effort and Rising Delta Cases

“The effect of remdesivir is something a statistician can show you in a trial of 1,000 people, but it’s not something where you really can see a day-to-day impact on your patients,” says Dr. Griffin of ProHealth.

Does Remdesivir Actually Work Against Covid-19?

The evidence shows only that the drug might be effective. That once wasn’t enough for F.D.A. approval.

Final results of US trial reveal remdesivir could shorten recovery time in Covid patients

The results, published in NEJM, come weeks after WHO's Solidarity Trial concluded that remdesivir had little to no effect on hospitalised Covid patients.

Finding a Role for Remdesivir as Part of Combo Therapy for COVID-19

Although hardly a cure, the drug originally developed as an option for Ebola virus may yet find a life in the management of patients with pneumonia caused by severe COVID-19, as part of a combination regimen with the rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib.

How Remdesivir Works to Fight COVID-19 Inside the Body

Remdesivir isn’t new. It was initially developed to treat Hepatitis C and RSV, a virus that causes respiratory infections. It was also researched as a treatment for Ebola as well as SARS and MERS—two other coronaviruses that infect humans much like the virus that causes COVID-19. It never made it to the approval stage for those uses...

How remdesivir works, and why it’s not the ultimate coronavirus killer

Here's where remdesivir could become important. It belongs to a class of antiviral drugs that work by posing as legitimate chemical building blocks of a DNA or RNA sequence.

Oral Remdesivir Could Lower COVID Hospitalizations, Preclinical Study Says

An oral version of remdesivir is being developed by scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus early in its infection cycle. Though still in preclinical trials, results suggest it could reduce disease severity and hospitalizations thanks to its longer half-life, greater efficacy and reduced toxicity when compared to remdesivir.

Remdesivir explained – what makes this drug work against viruses?

Remdesivir is a member of one of the oldest and most important classes of drugs – known as nucleoside analogue. Currently there are more than 30 of these types of drugs that have been approved for use in treating viruses, cancers, parasites, as well as bacterial and fungal infections, with many more currently in clinical and preclinical trials.

Remdesivir Fails to Prevent Covid-19 Deaths in Huge Trial

Critics said the study, sponsored by the W.H.O., was too poorly conducted to be definitive.

Remdesivir has very little effect on Covid-19 mortality, WHO finds

Remdesivir, one of the big treatment hopes for Covid-19, has very little effect on preventing deaths, according to a large and comprehensive trial run by the World Health Organization.

Remdesivir Not Working for Covid-19? Dissecting the WHO Solidarity Trial

A few researchers have previously doubted remdesivir efficacy against Covid-19; they are more right now.

Scientists discover how remdesivir works to inhibit coronavirus

For the first time, scientists identified a critical mechanism that the drug uses and unearthed information that drug companies can use to develop new and improved antivirals to take advantage of the same trick.

The FDA approved remdesivir to treat Covid-19. Scientists are questioning the evidence

“I think it’s really inappropriate to give this a full approval because the data don’t support it,” said Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Translational Institute. “What [the FDA] should have done instead of issuing the approval was put on the brakes.”

The place for remdesivir in COVID-19 treatment

So, what currently is the role of remdesivir in COVID-19 treatment? For patients with mild or moderately severe COVID-19 and no need for respiratory support, remdesivir does not offer significant benefit at day 28 and its use is not recommended.9 For individuals at high risk of hyperinflammation who are diagnosed early during illness (≤10 days) and require supplemental oxygen, remdesivir shortens the time to recovery and reduces the risk of progression. This clinically important endpoint is cost-effective in some health-care settings

The ‘very, very bad look’ of remdesivir, the first FDA-approved COVID-19 drug

The bottom line from the trials so far is there simply isn’t enough evidence that remdesivir works, says Jason Pogue, a University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, researcher who is president of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. Pogue believes FDA made a mistake and, unless more data emerge, EMA should not give the drug full approval.

We aren’t using all of our tools to treat Covid-19

It was initially developed to treat the Ebola virus. There are concerns about how well it works with Covid-19. The World Health Organization conducted one of the largest studies to date on antiviral drugs for Covid-19 and found that remdesivir had little to no effect on mortality. However, several smaller studies found that it could reduce the length of hospital stays in patients. McCarthy said that means the drug can still be useful. Shorter hospital stays mean fewer beds occupied,