Antiviral Drug Remdesivir Offers New Hope for COVID-19 Patients

US FDA has approved the emergency use of antivirual drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus positive patients. The drug may help decrease the amount of the coronavirus in bodies.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the experimental remdesivir (anti-viral medication) to treat COVID-19 patients.

In an FDA fact sheet for patients and their families and caregivers, the agency on Friday noted that remdesivir has not undergone the same type of review as an FDA-approved or cleared product, reports Xinhua news agency.

Remdesivir Trial suggests No Significant Clinical Benefits
First randomized trial of remdesivir suggests antiviral drug is not associated with significant clinical benefits and more research needed is confirm the efficacy.

‘Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral medicine to treat certain people in the hospital with COVID-19, said the FDA, adding the drug was still being studied.’

"There is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with COVID-19," said the FDA.

Remdesivir was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some people.

There are no medicines approved by the FDA as safe and effective to treat people in the hospital who have COVID-19.

Remdesivir Targets a Vital Enzyme of Coronavirus
Remdesivir targets key enzyme of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. It is already in human trials in search for treatment of deadly disease.

Therefore, the FDA has authorized the emergency use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 under an EUA, said the agency.

Remdesivir is given to patients through a vein one time each day for up to 10 days depending on recommendations of healthcare providers, according to the FDA.

Coronavirus
Coronaviruses infect animals, humans, and birds. Human coronaviruses, such as SARS, MERS, and 2019-nCoV cause respiratory distress and even death. The S protein is the infectious agent of the virus.

The drug may help decrease the amount of the coronavirus in bodies and help patients get better faster, said the agency.

Possible side effects of remdesivir include infusion-related reactions and increases in levels of liver enzymes, according to the FDA.

COVID-19 Pandemic Remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Reveals WHO
COVID-19 pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"These are not all the possible side effects of remdesivir. Remdesivir is still being studied so it is possible that all of the risks are not known at this time," said the FDA.

Source-IANS